Devotee: If somehow, Śrīla Prabhupāda, someone falls down, does that mean that he did not want to love Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
(Lecture on Bhagavad-Gita--------New Mayapura).
Śyāmasundara: I mean if someone is in the spiritual world, he falls down into the material world...
Prabhupāda: Falls down is different.
Śyāmasundara: ...yes, and then he becomes again released...
Prabhupāda: Again he is free.
Śyāmasundara: Is his understanding after release higher than the previous?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Śyāmasundara: Because he has learned something.
(Philosophy discussion).
Guru-kṛpā: There is also a question in that same line. They say that in the spiritual world we say that everything is peaceful, there is no birth and death, there is no material conditions, so if the conditions in the spiritual world are so nice and everything is spiritually, everything is spiritual, how is it that one can become envious of Kṛṣṇa in such conditions? This is a very...
Acyutānanda: The original sin.
Sudāmā: Why we are envious,
Guru-kṛpā: How is it that, if everything is free from envy, free from bad material elements...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Guru-kṛpā: How is it that...
Prabhupāda: That is independence. That is independence. In spite of all these things, because you have got little independence, you can violate.
Sudāmā: It is very hard thing to understand.
Prabhupāda: No, it is not difficult. It is not difficult.
Acyutānanda: It is not difficult. They don't want to understand.
Prabhupāda: Because you are part and parcel of God, God has got full independence, but you have got little independence, proportionately, because you are part and parcel.
(Morning walk------Mayapura).
Now coming to the point of questions—your first question is: "What am I? Is the body itself matter, or spiritual soul, or a combination of both?" Answer: You are eternal servant of Krishna. The body is matter. The spirit soul is different from the body—it is not exactly combination, but it is encagement. Just like if you put oil in the water, the oil does not mix up with the water. Similarly, soul does not mix with the material body; but due to our material consciousness, we are thinking that the movement of this body is movement of the soul. Therefore, when the body is destroyed, we think the soul is destroyed. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, that the soul does not die with the destruction of the body. With the destruction of one body, the soul transmigrates to another body, thus the bondage of material existence. Therefore, to train the soul properly to revive his original consciousness, or Krishna Consciousness, is the real purpose of human life.
Then, your second question, "If this body is pure soul, then why it gets engaged with worldly matter?" As explained above, the body is not the soul, it gets engaged with worldly matter due to its vitiated consciousness. Just like some of us are thinking that "I am American," or "I am Indian"—it is due to vitiated consciousness. The real consciousness is that I am eternal servant of Krishna. Or, it is just like a madman who thinks to himself that he is king, he is free to do whatever he likes, and talks nonsense; but a sane man laughs at him.
Our encagement in the matter is just like a madman's activities. When one is treated by the treatment of Krishna Consciousness, he becomes relieved from all these designative engagements. When I feel as American or when I feel as Indian, and act accordingly, that is the cause of all sorts of anxieties and frustrations. Krishna Consciousness means to come to the pure understanding that one is neither American nor Indian, but he is eternal servant of Krishna, and thus engages himself in rendering loving service to the Lord. This is his pure spiritual life.
(Extract from a letter to Anil Grover--------Los Angeles).
Replies