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As devotees, we talk a lot about getting free from the material energy, free from the influence of maya, free from our attachments to material sense pleasures and their objects.

Why do we want to do that? What would be the reason?

Sometimes it can be confusing. It may seem like we’re taking all this too seriously, when really it’s all Krishna’s creation and life in this world can have so many pleasures to offer us.

Here is an example that perhaps will illustrate the reasons.

Suppose you are in a relationship with someone. You think you love them, and they love you. You have all kinds of hopes and dreams about all the things you will do together. They seem to be so wonderful, and they tell you all kinds of things that you will do together, and ways you will be happy and enjoy your love together.

You are very pleased by all this, it seems very amazing. You begin to imagine all these ways things will be, and you become very attached to all of it. You make plans, you invest energy, you change your life around being with them.

After some time, it starts to become obvious to you that there are some “flaws” in the situation. Well, maybe the person that says they love you starts lying to you. Then they start cheating, and being involved with others. You’re very attached to them, and all of the things you’d hoped for, so you go on, trying to overlook it. Maybe they say they are sorry, and they make new promises. “I will never lie to you again” they say. “I will never hurt you or cheat you again” they say.

So, you continue on, investing your energy, your love, your time, your faith. You believe in the things they tell you. You believe in your future with them. You think to yourself “well maybe I am not so happy right now, but I soon will be”…. or “someday I will be”.

One day, you realize that your suffering has become very great, and you life seems dark, empty. You feel lonely inside. All the hope you once had seems drained. All the efforts you’ve been making seem to change nothing. Still the lies, still the cheating, still the empty promises.

Finally, something happens that changes everything. You meet someone who is different. This person, there is something radiant about them. You feel a strong attraction to everything about them. When you see them, you feel happy, light. The sun starts to shine again in your world. You suddenly notice there is a moon, and you spend hours gazing at it. Everything seems alive and full of wonder and beauty.

All of this happens when you even just think of this new person… so you start thinking of them more and more. The more you think of this new person, the less all the pain the other person is inflicting on you seems to matter.

Suddenly, you don’t care so much when they lie to you. Somehow, when they cheat, it does not seem to hurt you so deeply. When they yell and scream and try to argue with you and make you upset, you find that all you have to do is think of your new love, this person you have discovered, and are not so affected by their rages and torrents of fury.

Pretty soon, you are spending time with your new love, you can’t wait to see them, to be with them. Everything about them is just so exciting and wonderful to you. They are kind to you, loving, caring. They don’t lie, they don’t cheat, they don’t fly into rages and mistreat you.

But… you still don’t know…. it seems pretty drastic to think of just walking out of the relationship you’ve been in. There is some security there, you have all these plans you’ve made. There are all these “things” and “people” connected to you and your life with them. Well, you would have to give it all up to be with your new love.

The more you think about your new love, the more time you spend with your new love, the less these “things” seem to matter. They all start to seem gray, dull, lifeless. You don’t resent the old person anymore. They don’t even have the power to upset you. All the promises and hopes start to pale in comparison to the new beauty you have found from the relationship you are having with your new love.

Finally, nothing matters anymore at all. You don’t care if you lose everything. You don’t care if the rest of the world hates you. All the plans and dreams and promises have lost their meaning entirely. The person you had been with showers you with expensive gifts, and they have no allure. They offer you everything you had ever wanted, and you find that you no longer want a single bit of it. Not one thing they offer means a single thing to you any longer. All you want in the whole world is just to be with your new love. You have become free from the bondage of the old relationship.

That new love is Krishna. : )

(you knew I was going to say that didn’t you ;)

We are all longing for Krishna. All the things in this world will only give us temporary pleasure and happiness. All the while, we will be lied to, cheated, and punished. That’s really what’s happening. The material world is a lie. It’s a false dream of happiness. It keeps us from our real love with promises of things it will never deliver, and lies about the nature of our relationship with it.

When we start seeing Krishna, thinking of Krishna, spending time with Krishna, the material world starts to lose it’s power over us. All the things it has to offer begin to pale and have less meaning. The become much less valuable.

We have found our one and only true love.

We start to feel the real happiness and beauty and love that Krishna has to offer. Krishna doesn’t lie or cheat or mistreat us. We only feel happiness when we are with Him. This is our eternal relationship. This is what we are all seeking after, we have just forgotten where to find it.

Now we know. We know Krishna. Even just thinking of Krishna makes us feel happy, what to speak of being with Him. That is real freedom from the bondage of the material world, and real (and lasting) happiness is the result.

Hare Krishna : )
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Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=14352