Q. 183. WHAT IS THE ULTIMATE RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLE ?
A. BY SRILA PRABHUPADA.
etāvān eva loke 'smin
puḿsāḿ dharmaḥ paraḥ smṛtaḥ
bhakti-yogo bhagavati
tan-nāma-grahaṇādibhiḥ
SYNONYMS
etāvān — this much; eva — indeed; loke asmin — in this material world; puḿsām — of the living entities; dharmaḥ — the religious principles; paraḥ — transcendental; smṛtaḥ — recognized; bhakti-yogaḥ — bhakti-yoga, or devotional service; bhagavati — to the Supreme Personality of Godhead (not to the demigods); tat — His; nāma — of the holy name; grahaṇa-ādibhiḥ — beginning with chanting.
TRANSLATION
Devotional service, beginning with the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, is the ultimate religious principle for the living entity in human society. (Srimad Bhagavatam).
PURPORT
As stated in the previous verse, dharmaḿ bhāgavatam, real religious principles, are bhāgavata-dharma, the principles described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam itself or in Bhagavad-gītā, the preliminary study of the Bhāgavatam. What are these principles?
The Bhāgavatam says, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra: [SB 1.1.2] in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there are no cheating religious systems. Everything in the Bhāgavatam is directly connected with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Bhāgavatam further says, sa vai puḿsāḿ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje: [SB 1.2.6] the supreme religion is that which teaches its followers how to love the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is beyond the reach of experimental knowledge.
Such a religious system begins with tan-nāma-grahaṇa, chanting of the holy name of the Lord (śravaṇaḿ kīrtanaḿ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaḿ pāda-sevanam [SB 7.5.23]). After chanting the holy name of the Lord and dancing in ecstasy, one gradually sees the form of the Lord, the pastimes of the Lord and the transcendental qualities of the Lord. This way one fully understands the situation of the Personality of Godhead.
One can come to this understanding of the Lord, how He descends into the material world, how He takes His births and what activities He performs, but one can know this only by executing devotional service. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti: [Bg. 18.55] simply by devotional service one can understand everything about the Supreme Lord. If one fortunately understands the Supreme Lord in this way, the result istyaktvā dehaḿ punar janma naiti: [Bg. 4.9] after giving up his material body, he no longer has to take birth in this material world. Instead, he returns home, back to Godhead. That is the ultimate perfection. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (8.15):
mām upetya punar janma
duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
saḿsiddhiḿ paramāḿ gatāḥ
SYNONYMS
mām — Me; upetya — achieving; punaḥ — again; janma — birth; duḥkha-ālayam — place of miseries; aśāśvatam — temporary; na — never; āpnuvanti — attain; mahā-ātmānaḥ — the great souls; saḿsiddhim — perfection; paramām — ultimate; gatāḥ — having achieved.
TRANSLATION
After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection. (Bhagavad-Gita As It Is).
PURPORT
Since this temporary material world is full of the miseries of birth, old age, disease and death, naturally he who achieves the highest perfection and attains the supreme planet, Kṛṣṇaloka, Goloka Vṛndāvana, does not wish to return.
The supreme planet is described in Vedic literature as avyakta and akṣara andparamā gati; in other words, that planet is beyond our material vision, and it is inexplicable, but it is the highest goal, the destination for the mahātmās (great souls).
The mahātmās receive transcendental messages from the realized devotees and thus gradually develop devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and become so absorbed in transcendental service that they no longer desire elevation to any of the material planets, nor do they even want to be transferred to any spiritual planet. They only want Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's association, and nothing else. That is the highest perfection of life.
This verse specifically mentions the personalist devotees of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. These devotees in Kṛṣṇa consciousness achieve the highest perfection of life. In other words, they are the supreme souls.
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