God's Advice - The Supreme Counsel for Conditioned Souls
In the material world, everyone is eager to give advice. Politicians, scientists, and philosophers constantly propose new solutions to the problems of life, yet society remains perpetually baffled and miserable. Śrīla Prabhupāda identifies the root cause of this failure: humanity has rejected the advice of the supreme authority. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the creator and maintainer of the universe; therefore, He alone knows exactly how the conditioned souls can escape the entanglement of karma and achieve eternal happiness. By studying the Lord's advice as given in the Vedic literatures, through His various incarnations, and from within the heart, a sincere seeker discovers the infallible path to spiritual perfection.
The Supreme Counsel of the Bhagavad-gītā
The Bhagavad-gītā is the direct, spoken advice of Lord Kṛṣṇa to humanity, delivered through His devotee Arjuna. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that instead of relying on our own flawed mental speculation, we must accept Kṛṣṇa's clear and perfect instructions.
- In this bewildered condition, baffled condition of the society, we should consult Krsna. Krsna is ready to give you advice, as He was ready five thousand years ago to give advice to Arjuna.
- The Lord advises in the Bhagavad-gita that one give up all so-called religious activities and completely engage in the devotional service of the Lord to become free from all anxieties due to the dangerous life of material existence.
- The Supreme Lord advises in Bhagavad-gita: O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me. This is bhakti.
- The Lord advised that Arjuna not be inactive, but that he perform his prescribed duty without being attached to the result.
Advice from the Lord's Incarnations
Throughout history, the Supreme Lord has descended in various forms specifically to instruct human society. Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently cites the profound advice given by incarnations such as Lord Ṛṣabhadeva and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
- Rsabhadeva advised that, if you want eternal pleasure, eternal happiness, then you do not try to misuse your this valuable body simply for meeting the demands like cats and dogs.
- We are hankering after perpetual happiness, continued happiness. So Rsabhadeva advised, "My dear boys, you take to austerity." Tapo divyam yena suddhyet sattvam. After you are purified, then brahma-saukhyam anantam, then you get unlimited happiness.
- The characteristics of this age predicted by Srimad-Bhagavatam are already being experienced to some degree. Since Kali-yuga is a very miserable age, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Sri Krsna Himself, advises everyone simply to chant Hare Krsna.
- The merciful Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has simply advised us to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra: harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam.
The Inner Adviser: The Paramātmā
For those who accept the process of bhakti-yoga but feel distant from the Lord, Śrīla Prabhupāda offers the ultimate reassurance. The Supreme Lord is not only a historical figure; He is the Paramātmā situated within the heart, ready to give direct advice to the sincere devotee.
- Although we cannot see the Supreme Personality of Godhead in our present darkness, our lack of knowledge, He is always present, seeing our activities. As the Paramatma, He is the witness and adviser.
- If one sticks to the principles enunciated by the spiritual master, somehow or other he is in association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Since the Lord is in the heart, He can advise a sincere disciple from within.
- The Bhagavad-gita confirms emphatically that the pure devotees, who are constantly engaged in the loving transcendental service of the Lord, are directly advised by the Lord, so much so that the devotee unwaveringly makes progress on the path to Godhead.
- When the chief lord of the universe, Lord Brahma, having been inspired by My energy, was attempting to create, he thought himself incapable. Therefore I gave him advice, and in accordance with My instructions he underwent extremely difficult austerities.
Receiving the Lord's Advice Through the Sādhu
A common challenge is that conditioned souls cannot directly hear Kṛṣṇa speaking to them. Therefore, the Lord explicitly advises us to approach His authorized representatives. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the sādhu (saintly person) or spiritual master is the transparent medium for the Lord's advice.
- We may say, "I cannot find Krsna. How can I follow His order?" It is the role of the sadhu to impart Krsna's orders. Since Krsna's representative is the sadhu, Kapiladeva advises His mother to associate with sadhus.
- The Fourteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita nicely explains how one can free oneself of contamination by the material modes. Now Kapiladeva advises, Mother, if you want to get rid of the contamination of material nature, you should associate with a sadhu.
- In Bhagavad-gita the Supreme Personality of Godhead advises: Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.
- The path of spiritual realization is undoubtedly difficult. The Lord therefore advises us to approach a bona fide spiritual master in the line of disciplic succession from the Lord Himself.
Conclusion
The supreme compassion of the Personality of Godhead is most clearly demonstrated through the perfect advice He offers to the conditioned souls. Śrīla Prabhupāda repeatedly stresses that trying to achieve happiness through material adjustments or mental speculation is a waste of time; we must humbly accept the counsel of the supreme authority. Through the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord advises us to abandon all temporary engagements and surrender fully to Him. Through His incarnation as Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, He advises us to perform austerity (tapasya) to realize eternal, spiritual bliss. Most importantly for this age, as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He advises us to simply chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Because we are currently blinded by material illusion, the Lord advises us to approach a bona fide spiritual master who acts as His representative. When a devotee submissively accepts this external guidance and engages in devotional service, the Lord within the heart (the Paramātmā) begins to act as the inner adviser, perfectly guiding the soul out of the darkness of material existence and back to the eternal light of the spiritual world.
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 God's Advice. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.