Hare Krsna
Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Our maturity in devotional service does not depend upon the number of years we practise bhakti, but it depends upon how we are genuinely seeing Krishna in everyone and remembering Krishna in all our activities. In order to achieve this stage Srila Prabhupada delineates three fundamental requirements of self realization or Krishna consciousness. His Divine Grace gives the wonderful definition of self realisation in such a simple language in Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.33 purport.
yatreme sad-asad-rupe / pratishiddhe sva-sam vidaa
avidyayaa tmani krte / iti tad brahma-darshanam
"Whenever a person experiences, by self-realization, that both the gross and subtle bodies have nothing to do with the pure self, at that time he sees himself as well as the Lord."
In the purport to above verse Srila Prabhupada says, "Self-realization means becoming indifferent to the needs of the gross and subtle bodies and becoming serious about the activities of the self."
1. Indifferent to the needs of gross body: Our beloved spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj says that body will do everything and anything other than to become a devotee. But instead of paying more attention to it, if we turn our attention sincerely towards Krishna's service, (be it hearing about Krishna or singing kirtans for glorifying Lord or making garlands for Him or cooking for Him) then we will be easily able to be indifferent to bodily needs. Srimad Bhagavatam gives us the wonderful example of how Parikshit Maharaj and all the sages at banks of Ganges were able to hear Srimad Bhagavatam continuously for 7 days without being disturbed by hunger or thirst.
2. Indifferent to the needs of subtle body: Subtle body includes mind, intelligence and false-ego. The soul is carrying the subtle body life after life without end whereas gross body is finished with end of the material body. We get different material bodies, but subtle body is constant and never leaves us and it is very difficult to attack and curb its need. When our intelligence is not steady, then our mind and false-ego will create havoc to ourselves and the people around us. So it is important to have steady intelligence by taking shelter of Guru, saadhu and shastra. In Srimad Bhagavatam we find that when Bali Maharaj was put to test by Vamana dev, Bali Maharaj remained truthful to his vow, in spite of being defamed and deprived of his opulences. In Srimad Bhagavatam verses 8.22.29-30, Lord says, "Although bereft of his riches, fallen from his original position, defeated and arrested by his enemies, rebuked and deserted by his relatives and friends, although suffering the pain of being bound and although rebuked and cursed by his spiritual master, Bali Maha ra ja, being fixed in his vow, did not give up his truthfulness. It was certainly with pretension that I spoke about religious principles, but he did not give up religious principles, for he is true to his word." This is the real meaning of indifference to the needs of the subtle body. Srila Prabhupada uses the word, "need" which means that it has become a necessity for these two bodies - subtle and gross. But the verse very clearly tells that these two things are nothing to do with the self or the soul. This is the point we have to ponder over. How to do it is given in the third requirement - seriousness about the activities of the self. This is the key point we have to ponder over again and again.
3. Serious about the activities of the self: Unless we are serious about the devotional service and Krishna consciousness where is the question of becoming indifferent to the gross and subtle bodily needs? The real position of the soul is a servant. Once this service attitude is given as a gift of mercy from the Lord, then automatically we will be indifferent to gross or subtle bodily needs. Srila Prabhupada warns about this in his wonderful puport to Bhagavatam verse 3.13.50 that it is sine qua non (most essential) for a devotee to become serious about devotional life. "Therefore one who is serious about eliminating material existence must chant and hear of the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead. Otherwise one must be compared to the nonhumans." This is the reason Maharaj says that, "those who come to Devotional service are extraordinary, as ordinary persons will not come to devotional service." Bhagavatam verse 3.25.33 confirms that "Bhakti, devotional service,dissolves the subtle body of the living entity without separate effort, just as fire in the stomach digests all that we eat."
In conclusion let us remember the golden lines of Srila Prabhupada in his purport to verse 1.1.10 of Srimad Bhagavatam, "Overeating, over-sense gratification, over-dependence on another's mercy, and artificial standards of living sap the very vitality of human energy." So when we try to practise these things in our life, then we will be able to use this vital energy, properly in Krishna's service. I therefore pray to Srila Gurudev, Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krishna to shower the causeless mercy on me, so that I understand this topmost secret of self realization and thereby be able to curb the needs of the subtle and gross body and really becomes serious about devotional life. May this new year be the starting point of becoming serious about devotional service.
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