One should develop a liking for residence in a secluded place with a calm and quiet atmosphere favorable for spiritual culture, and one should avoid congested places where non devotees congregate.
Association in every town and village:
To search the audience of God in a lonely forest is considered to be in the mode of goodness.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 1.6.21
Conditioned living beings are always after the favor of the goddess of fortune, although by nature she is moving from one place to another. In the material world no one is permanently fortunate, however clever one may be. There have been so many big empires in different parts of the world, there have been so many powerful kings all over the world, and there have been so many fortunate men, but all of them have been liquidated gradually. This is the law of material nature. But spiritually it is different. According to Brahma-samhita, the Lord is served very respectfully by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune. They are always in a lonely place also with the Lord. But still the association of the Lord is so inspiringly newer and newer that they cannot quit the Lord for a moment, even though they are by nature very restless and are moving about. The spiritual relation with the Lord is so enlivening and resourceful that no one can leave the company of the Lord, once having taken shelter of Him.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 1.11.33
It is said in the sastras that residential quarters within the forest are in the mode of goodness, residential quarters in big cities, towns and villages are in the mode of passion, and residential quarters in an atmosphere wherein indulgence in the four sinful activities of illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling predominates are in the mode of ignorance. But residential quarters in a temple of Visnu, the Supreme Lord, are in Vaikuntha.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => KB 88: The Deliverance of Lord Siva
Note:
Being alone does not mean being Lonely. Loneliness is a material disease.
Probationary stage of regulative devotional service is carried in by being situated in the mode of goodness and forest is considered to be in the mode of goodness. In Forest you get the basic necessities of live without endeavor this helps in keeping the body and soul together.
Above all in these lonely places their are high chances of coming in contact with the devotees of the Lord in many numbers but due to the extreme mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his followers like Srila Prabhupada we have got this privileged of association with the devotees of krsna in every town and village.
Comments