By misfortune, I wandered into the forest of material enjoyment where I was captured, imprisoned, bound down by the unbreakable cords of material nature, and sentenced to hard labor.
In illusion, I accepted my captors as my allies and friends; my sentence to the drudgery of hard work as a benediction; and my selection of foot shackles – gold, copper, or iron - as a sign of my free choice.
In the Gita, Krsna deems this prison life, duratyaya, “impossible to overcome.” And the avanti brahmana of Srimad-bhagavatam calls it duranta, “insurmountable.”
Since a time immemorial, for better or for worse, I accepted this prison as my home. But, by some unimaginable good fortune and by hearing the words of my divine master, my spiritual intelligence awakened.
Srila Prabhupada writes:
“The need of the spirit soul is that he wants to get out of the limited sphere of material bondage and fulfill his desire for complete freedom. He wants to get out of the covered walls of the greater universe. He wants to see the free light and the spirit. That complete freedom is achieved when he meets the complete spirit, the Personality of Godhead.” (SB 1.2.8; purport)
Because of Srila Prabhupada’s compassion for me, what had been unthinkable before has now become my preoccupation: I want to serve Krsna, only. I want to go back to Godhead.
Srila Prabhupada sailed to America bringing with him the Trojan Horse of devotional service, releasing Krsna’s powerful armies - headed by the holy name – onto her shores. Now the forces have multiplied and are storming the world, breaking down prison walls everywhere.
Ignoring Krsna, I built a strong barricade of ignorance around my heart. Now it must come down.
Waving the white flag of surrender, I beseech Krsna and His armies to come quickly to smash these prison walls and accept me back into His family of loving servants.
Taking shelter of the great Acaryas, today I pray:
“My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, because of my association with material desires, one after another, I was gradually falling into a blind well full of snakes, following the general populace. But Your servant Narada Muni kindly accepted me as his disciple and instructed me how to achieve this transcendental position. Therefore, my first duty is to serve him. How could I leave his service?” (SB 7.9.28)
“O my Lord, as powerful as fire, O omnipotent one, now I offer You all obeisances, falling on the ground at Your feet. O my Lord, please lead me on the right path to reach You, and since You know all that I have done in the past, please free me from the reactions to my past sins so that there will be no hindrance to my progress.” (Sri Isopanisad Mantra 18)
Vaisesika Dasa
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