In a fiercely competitive world, everyone is in an endless pursuit of ‘the dream’, a rat race which presents a mirage of success and happiness at the end. We are all either part of it or gearing up for it. How does one take part without getting bogged down or losing sight of what lies beyond and what really matters? How does one achieve the highest perfection?
We know that there are four classes of men—the karmis, the jnanis, the yogis, and the bhaktas—and each achieves a different goal.
The karmis work for some material profit. For example, in the city, many people work hard day and night, and their purpose is to get some money. Thus, they are fruitive workers, or karmis.
A jnani is a person who thinks, “Why am I working so hard? The birds, bees, elephants, and other creatures have no profession, yet they are also eating. So why should I unnecessarily work so hard? Rather, let me try to solve the problems of life—birth, death, old age, and disease.” Jnanis try to become immortal. They think that if they merge into God’s existence, then they will become immune to birth, death, old age, and disease.
And yogis try to acquire some mystic power to exhibit a wonderful show. For instance, a yogi can become very small: if you put him into a locked room, he can come out through any little space. By showing this kind of magic, the yogi is immediately accepted as a very wonderful man. Of course, modern yogis simply show some gymnastics—they have no real power. But a real yogi has some power, which is not spiritual but material. So the yogi wants mystic power, the jnani wants salvation from the miseries of life, and the karmi wants material profit.
But the bhakta—the devotee—doesn’t want anything for himself. He simply wants to serve God out of love, just as a mother serves her child. There is no question of profit in a mother’s service to her child. Out of pure affection and love, she cares for him.
Therefore, one should aspire to be like the 'bhakta'. With one-pointed attention, one should constantly hear about, glorify, remember and worship the Personality of Godhead, who is the protector of the devotees. That is called the highest perfection.
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