Jayanti » 27 фев 2021, 04:06
TEXTS 6-7
The five great elements, false ego, intelligence, the unmanifested, the ten senses, the mind, the five sense objects, desire, hatred, happiness, distress, the aggregate, the life symptoms, and convictions-all these are considered, in summary, to be the field of activities and its interactions.
PURPORT
The five great, or gross, elements are the solid state of matter, liquid, fiery, gaseous, and space. The whole world is made up of these five elements, but in addition to them, the concept of material elements also includes senses, mind, intelligence, and false ego. Modern science studies only the five great or large elements, believing that senses, mind, and intelligence arise from a combination of gross matter.
Engineers and technologists create computers from gross matter, that is, calculating machines, and they think that this can be proof of the origin of the mind and senses from gross matter. Nevertheless, the computer does not feel or think anything. The computer is created by people and simply mechanically reproduces the programs put into it by human. With the help of a computer, people simulate primitive processes, but they cannot create senses in a computer or the ability to think independently. Presently there is the concept of artificial intelligence, however, of course, a machine cannot have any intelligence, a machine follows a program embedded in it by a human.
It is impossible to explain the origin of mind and feelings from gross matter. The mind and senses are clearly superior to the gross body, for example, the human body cannot fly, but the senses may want to fly. The human gross body is quite limited, but with the help of the mind and intellect, the capabilities of the body can be greatly expanded. However, such increase in possibilities is not only the result of the actions of one mind, but the structure of the material world also allows us to do this. Initially, people do not know what will happen with certain actions, they try, set up an experiment, record the results of the experiment and then use it. Thus, various physical effects are embedded within matter and people only study them and, if possible, use them for their own purposes. The presence of laws and regularities points to God - if there are any laws in the state, then someone has established them.
If everything in the universe is ordered, based on law, has a construction, then someone has established such an order, that is, there is a cause for all of this. If we have the mind and the senses, then the mind and the senses must also be in the original cause. Even if we assume that the mind and senses appear as a result of the interaction of gross elements, this means that such a possibility is inherent in the elements initially, otherwise how did it arise? It is impossible to say that something arise random when we see laws everywhere. Our ability to think and feel is local, but the original ability to think and feel must be global. Out of the global senses, mind, and intelligence, there are many small local senses, minds, and intelligences arise - these are obvious facts and logic. An intelligent human creates a computer that has a complex structure and simulates the processes of thinking, similarly, the nature or God create many bodies that have a structure, senses, and thinking.
Therefore, mind, intelligence, senses, and ego are included in the concept of the elements of creation. The five great or gross elements make up the gross body and the five senses, mind, intelligence, and ego make up the subtle body. Five senses are associated with five gross elements: vision is associated with the element of fire, hearing - with space, the sense of taste - with the liquid state of matter (water), the sense of touch is associated with a gaseous substance (air), and the sense of smell is associated with the solid state of matter (earth). The sense of smell functions only where there are elements of the earth, the sense of taste - where there are elements of water, vision is possible only in the presence of elements of fire, the sense of touch or the nervous system perhaps only when there is a movement of subtle air currents in the body, the sense of hearing perceives sound, sound can spread only if there is space.
Based on the analysis of five gross elements and five senses (as well as five sense objects), the stages of the origin of the universe are easily proved. First, space and sound arise, then the expansion of space forms gas in the universe, fire arises from gas (for example, our Sun is the reaction of hydrogen and helium gases), water arises from fire (oxidized hydrogen or other types of water), and from the movement of water is formed earth or the roughest elements. The entire creation is also permeated by intelligence or has a construction, the creation is not chaotic, it has a structure and based on laws.
The first gross element of creation is space, ether, which corresponds to the object of the senses - sound, and the sense - hearing. As the initial element, space is present in all other elements, and sound, vibration, waves can spread through the other four elements - air, fire, water, and earth. Since sound is the primary element, thinking is best expressed through sound or speech. Also, by sound and speech all other elements can be controlled. With the help of sound (or text) the whole world is described, various plans, concepts, schemes, and technologies are created by sound, therefore sound takes the most important place in both material and spiritual life.
Next air (gas) arises along with a tactile sense, the sense of touch. We see that the nervous system plays a central role in the life of all living beings. The nervous system (or air currents) spreads its influence over the entire body of any living being, including humans. Any living being always has one or another tactile perception, even if they do not have vision, for example. The nervous system is one of the main factors in a person's life which controls all the organs of the body, and pleasant sensations or pain are transmitted through the nervous system too.
Next arise: vision, which is completely controlled by fire, the ability to taste, controlled by water, and the sense of smell, controlled by earth. Thus, there are five gross elements; five objects of the senses - sound and others; five senses - hearing and others; together with the five organs of cognition - the ear and others; and then five organs of action - the tongue (speech), hands and feet (the physical body as an organ of action), organs of excretion and reproduction, are connected with each other.
The senses embodied in the organs of perception and action are above the gross elements. But the soul is even higher, since the body and all material senses act because they are filled with the energy of the soul, which manifests himself through the mind, intelligence, and five senses. The energy of the soul is universal, the soul can act without a body, and without being embodied in the mind and senses. The soul is transcendental. When he becomes attached to the body, he is only restrained by it.
The senses in contact with the objects of the senses give rise to desire and hatred, happiness and grief. The soul is used to enjoy the eternal objects in the eternal spiritual world and experience eternal happiness, but once the soul gets into matter, he begins to strive for material happiness, but such happiness is illusory and essentially is not happiness at all. People are always in the dream of happiness, in the pursuit of happiness, but as such, happiness does not exist here.
The unification of various elements of creation is also considered in the description of the material world. The scripture lists the elements of creation, but it also speaks about the general unification of all these elements into a single whole as part of creation. If we consider the soul is not related to the world of matter, then the description of the totality of all elements or their combination, which made separately without considering the soul, is quite appropriate. Have studied all the elements separately, one can eventually understand their complete unification with each other, which is the final stage of studying the material world.
Further in the verse, the signs of life and beliefs are listed, which already concerns the manifestation of consciousness within dead matter. So the material world as a field of activity of the soul is described as a whole, as a system. Beliefs arise from true knowledge and practical experience, and the beliefs formation completes the process of cognition.
As for the unmanifest, this is the stage of existence of the material world when it all goes into an unmanifested state. The world is either manifest, unfolding in itself all the described elements, or unmanifest during the sleep of Mahā-Viṣṇu. This stage of unmanifested is also described as an element of creation, as a part of complete description of the structure of the entire material world. The unmanifest state can be understood as the existence of Brahman, but all the elements of matter disappear, being temporary, and at the moment of the next creation they arise again from the radiance of the body of God. The structure of the world is cit-śakti; in the unmanifested form the elements are "stored" as the eternal knowledge of God, and in the manifested form the elements are re-created from the eternal "matter" of Brahman during the next creation.
Thus, the unmanifested is something that, from our point of view, does not exist, is completely absent, since the elements of creation in an unmanifested form are not stored anywhere. The material creation is temporary and illusory in this sense. The unmanifested (the elements of matter in the period of the destruction of the universes) does not exist, but in fact the material world as the plan of God exists eternally and creates from the "matter" of the all-pervading Brahman. Therefore, all the elements of the material world can be considered as non-existent, but at the same time eternally existing - this is the concept of illusion.
Material illusion is the continuation of the development of spiritual illusion (intensification of the illusion). Spiritual illusion is created for the beginning of cognition of God and for a close relationship with God; it is eternal and quite real, only partially illusory showing the position of God, where in one case His greatness is hidden (Goloka), in the other case His special attractiveness is hidden and God is manifested only in His pure greatness (Vaikuntha). At the lowest point of being of infinite Vaikuntha, God takes on a special form, Maha-Vishnu, and creates the material world for souls longing for personal dominion without God. Thus, the creation of the material world is the last stage in the development of illusion, where the concept of the temporality of life and the absence of God appears. The being of the world and the being of God cannot be temporary, but being omnipotent, He creates this type of creation.
There is nothing below the existence of the material world (or it is surrounded by infinite Brahman and Vaikuṇṭha), but within matter the gradation of the fall continues infinitely, going into infinitesimal forms of being with less and less obviously manifested signs of life in living entities. Since God is infinite, then every phenomenon created by Him is also infinite. Although the material world is temporary and all its forms are limited, yet all of them are still infinite directly or indirectly. The number of universes is infinite, the number of conditioned souls within each of them is infinite, the time of existence of the material world is infinite, although it is cyclically created and destroyed. Also, each form inside the world is relatively infinite - one can endlessly move on the surface of any sphere or planet and all these planets and atoms can rotate endlessly. In accordance with the energy conservation law, all kinds of energies are also eternal, they only transform into different types. Any object or distance can be divided into infinitely small parts or infinitely reduced in size. Similarly, the process of the soul's falling can be endless, and in this sense, any universe has no bottom, it is bottomless. The universe has no limits either in the direction of growth - it merges with the infinite brahmajyoti, nor in the direction of decreasing - it has no bottom or has no limits in the degree of falling the soul, it forms an endless abyss.
God, being the Absolute, the supreme, unlimited Truth, creates both the infinite worlds of eternal life and the world of infinite degradation. However, since the degradation of the soul is impossible in the highest sense, the world of degradation is illusory or temporary, but this does not mean that all souls will finally be saved. Those souls who have no desire to communicate with God gradually fall into the darkness of matter and remain there forever, not realizing themselves either during the existence of the manifested universe or during the period of sleep in the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu. However, this temporary illusory creation becomes the playground of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, where the endless darkness of matter becomes a decoration and indirect expression of His supreme feelings of love. The endless degradation of the soul or the endless darkness of the material world manifests itself as an analogy to God's infinite feelings of separation.
Thus, in the spiritual sense, the world of matter is the highest manifestation of the feelings of God and His highest creation that surpasses even the spiritual world. The material world is like a small but most valuable diamond in the infinite number of God's creations. The entire spiritual world shines like the Sun, but the world of matter is a special, unusual jewel, it shines in a special, most exquisite way. It can be called a dark, black diamond, or it can be called a jewel with the moonlight shine, or it can also be called a golden Moon. Black, shimmering with gold, is the most exquisite color that attracts the most exalted, pure devotees. According to dialectics, the world of matter attracts two categories of souls - the most fallen and the most exalted.
Lord Caitanya is the omnipotent creator of both spiritual and material worlds, the original Personality of Godhead, but in order to understand this, one should consistently go through the entire path of elevation. Only general worship of Him as God, recognition of Him as God are not a sufficient qualification for His real realization. People have no interest in spiritual science, therefore they only accept the process of temple worship or general study of the scriptures, or they are busy with themselves, incorrect, do not preach - it will be difficult for such people to understand God or it will be impossible for them to understand Him at all, even in many lifetimes. Materialistic believers make some kind of simplified scheme, they are too lazy to investigate the details of spiritual science. Instead of trying to know God, they do a temple cult, a guru cult, or are busy with their own affairs with an admixture of religiosity. All this is far from a developed spiritual life, and, accordingly, how can such people understand God, the most outstanding Personality?
TEXTS 8-12
Humility, pridelessness, nonviolence, tolerance, simplicity, approaching a bona fide spiritual master, cleanliness, steadiness and self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification, absence of false ego, the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; nonattachment to children, wife, home and the rest, and evenmindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me, resorting to solitary places, detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization, and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth-all these I thus declare to be knowledge, and what is contrary to these is ignorance.
PURPORT
This is one of the central points of the Bhagavad-gītā, it describes the process of attaining knowledge. Generally, knowledge means getting out of the influence of the body, and not just studying the material world and the body as such. As long as the personality is influenced by the mind and body, he is simply inside the mind and body, use their limited functions. But in order to attain knowledge, one must get out of such influence, cognize God and the soul. At the same time, this escape makes it possible to study the matter, because a person being in a liberated state, objectively sees the whole picture and mechanisms operating inside the matter.
Thus, the process of cognition is not a study of the elements as such, but a practical way out from under the influence of matter. A person who develops true knowledge manifests certain qualities described in these verses.
Spiritual knowledge begins with humility. A person who considers himself knowledgeable or the most intelligent cannot develop. To begin the process of cognition, you need some kind of humility, a certain recognition of your ignorance. When a person thinks he already knows everything, how then will he start learning? Therefore, the first quality of one who have knowledge is humility, but humility also means inquisitiveness, thoughtfulness, perseverance on the spiritual path. Humility in the highest sense is following the instructions of the scripture; one should not confuse humility with downtroddenness and blind faith in something.
The next quality is lack of pride, vanity, or desire for fame. Humility is the beginning of the learning process, and the striving for fame is the main contamination of the material world. A vain person is always busy with himself and he can never understand the essence of phenomena. Vanity blinds a person, makes him biased, vanity binds him. Vanity in religion has exactly the same effect of plunging into ignorance as ordinary vanity. When a devotee wants to become glorified, famous, initiated, brāhmaṇa, sannyāsī or guru just to be worshiped - all these are obstacles in spiritual life.
Humility is the main quality of the development of knowledge and vanity is the most important contamination, therefore both of them are considered at the very beginning of the enumeration of the qualities of knowledge. Thus, true knowledge means that a person does not have a desire for personal fame, but seeks the truth. Such people are happy with the knowledge of truth and God, and not with their own glory; this is a very important point. It is quite difficult to get rid of the desire for fame, but it is possible in the process of spiritual cognition and preaching from person to person.
To avoid violence means preaching first. Until a person is not engaged in preaching, he will somehow be guilty of violence. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes about this in his commentary on these verses:
"Nonviolence is generally taken to mean not killing or destroying the body, but actually nonviolence means not to put others into distress. People in general are trapped by ignorance in the material concept of life, and they perpetually suffer material pains. So, unless one elevates people to spiritual knowledge, one is practicing violence. One should try his best to distribute real knowledge to the people, so that they may become enlightened and leave this material entanglement. That is nonviolence."
Devotees also try to minimize the usual violence among others by giving up meat, etc., but nowadays the whole world is imbued with violence. Scientific and technical activities destroy all nature simultaneously in all directions and man, using technical goods, participates in this. The state takes taxes, then makes various types of weapons and wages wars. Almost any state can not also ensure legal justice now, therefore any ordinary citizen bears a certain responsibility for all types of violence in society - physical, moral violence, spreading false knowledge and others. Simply living in any state, working, paying taxes, taking and giving money, buying something, communicating with people, everyone becomes engaged in an endless chain of violence, becoming its accomplice to varying degrees.
But even if one leaves any state and social system, one will not be able to purify himself with the help of renunciation alone, because this will also make one guilty of violence - non-distribution of spiritual knowledge. Materialistic believers want to renounce, "to leave all worldly things", become a monk, sannyāsī, settle in a monastery, in a temple, in a holy place and so on. While all such sannyāsīs, gurus and monks sit in monasteries and Maths, preach only within their sects, preach for the sake of money and popularity, pleasing people, materialists are actively acting, destroying the nature and consciousness of people, therefore, all these "renounced" and sectarian gurus carry responsibility for such activities of materialists and get a reaction. Arjuna also wanted to leave the battle, but God told him that it was not right and explained why.
Anyway, by participate in state and social life (or avoid it), a person becomes associated with a huge amount of violence of all kinds, therefore, without preaching, it is very difficult or even impossible to avoid reactions for such kind of activity. When a devotee goes to preach from person to person, he not only performs an act of nonviolence, but can also be purified of all his own sins committed over an infinite number of lives. Therefore saṅkīrtana, or preaching, is in the first among the means of purification. Just chanting a mantra or reading the scriptures is not enough to achieve the highest perfection, so any devotee should preach as much as possible, constantly improving its quality.
The next quality of knowledge is tolerance. In the material world, there are always certain problems, it is also necessary to learn to restrain feelings, all this requires tolerance. Tolerance is necessary for spiritual elevation. Although the spiritual life is blissful in nature, a person must have enough tolerance to reach the spiritual level. We should not deceive anyone by saying that spiritual life is always full of happiness - spiritual life is full of happiness, but until a person reaches the level of spiritual happiness, he needs to perform quite a lot of austerities. Although spiritual life happy in all phases, nevertheless it is not an easy path in general. Tolerance also means the ability to endure insults and dishonor. In the mood of separation, tolerance also plays a major role, therefore it is mentioned in the Śikṣāṣṭaka.
Simplicity means that a devotee has no materialistic goals and goals of dominating others, either in the material world or in the spiritual society. When a person is not burdened with materialistic goals, the search for fame or power, he will always be simple and open. Those who have selfish interests will always be entangled with envy, cunning, duplicity; openness and simplicity are impossible there. Therefore, simplicity arises over time, with the spiritual development; generally everyone is conditioned and only over the years they will be able to get rid of materialistic goals. It is one thing when a person seems to be simple and open, having nothing, and another thing, when such opportunities appear and he becomes famous or rich, in which case he can become thoroughly entangled in his domination over time. Therefore intelligent devotees are simple and can easily give up all kinds of opulence, domination, and fame. In fact, devotees dominate only by order from above, but this also implies that the devotee has no personal interests.
As for cleanliness, then the main type of cleanliness is inner purity, which is achieved by developing knowledge, chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, preaching and renouncing the fruits of labor. Inner purity is also sincerity, purposefulness, good intelligence, spiritual intuition, dependence on God. “The pure in heart shall see God” - a person who is pure inwardly achieves spiritual success, but one should not neglect external purity either.
Approaching a bona fide spiritual master means studying Śrīla Prabhupāda's books as the path of our devotional service. We study only Śrīla Prabhupāda's books and do not study books of the other ācāryas, because this is not necessary. Some say Śrīla Prabhupāda taught only initial understanding and they come to finish his training - such people are materialists and cheaters. Quite a big number of various false gurus have already tried to "finish" what Śrīla Prabhupāda had begun, as a result, they themselves became finished along with their sects. A spiritual master is one who has realized Brahman, the greatness of God, and Bhagavān, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The spiritual master also practically knows all the rasas of Kṛṣṇa-līlā, but he preaches from the books of Śrīla Prabhupāda, leading the disciples to the ultimate goal of devotion - to Lord Caitanya.
Steadiness means that a person clearly understands material and spiritual existence. If a person understands the temporality of matter and the eternity of spirit, then how can he give up spiritual practice? Have accepted spiritual practice, one must understand that all and any material acquisitions will only increase suffering. Many modern gurus have taken on disciples for the sake of money and fame, but ultimately all kinds of suffering fell upon them, and after death most of them will be punished. Steadiness, or constancy, also means devotion to God and cognition of God. When a person is constant, he is devoted to God in happiness and unhappiness, in success and in failure. Such constancy is based on knowledge, on two types of knowledge: positive - about the spiritual nature, and negative - about the material world. A devotee always hones his spiritual understanding and devotion to God by preaching, and the development of knowledge alone without preaching will always be incomplete.
Self-control, self-discipline, or selfpossession is also based on knowledge and on preaching. By developing knowledge, a person understands what is good and what is bad; by preaching, he gradually becomes free from any kind of influence on him. We must restrain ourselves and our feelings not just for the sake of external religiosity, but for the sake of knowing God. Without a positive spiritual development, it is difficult to restrain feelings and mostly impossible. Self-discipline means that a devotee makes a feasible commitment and follows it, but eventually it is important to know God and preach spiritual science all over the world.
Renunciation of the objects of sense gratification means the devotee does not strive for any significant goals within matter and basically minimizes his everyday life. In practice, it looks like this: a devotee preaches all his free time and, accordingly, forgets he needs to improve his living conditions. Renunciation basically means being absorbed in the studying of spiritual science, preaching, various difficulties associated with preaching, and against this background, a devotee forgets he needs to get married, earn more money, have an external image and the like. To this we will be told that the preacher should set an example with his life, family, money, and so on, but we do not follow such ideas, we preach spiritual science and are looking for those who are interested in spiritual science and not in external surroundings.
A false ego is the identification of oneself with the body and striving for fame and domination. The soul receives a material body and lives in matter simply out of the desire to dominate others and out of the desire to gain recognition from others. The true ego is aspiration to know spiritual science, spiritual categories, and to preach. There is no alternative to preaching. Just to live piously in a family Means to remain in ignorance, or to chant a mantra in seclusion is also ignorance. If a person does not preach, this means only one thing: a lack of developed interest in spiritual life and God.
A person cannot help but communicate and speak, so if he does not preach, then māyā has a very great influence on him. Having started preaching, one must learn selflessness, because with the help of preaching one can also cultivate one's false ego. Preaching at least activates the personality and when one preach from person to person, it will be difficult to bask in the rays of one's own glory and significance, since most people are unlikely to appreciate us as a great person. However, even if one receive some recognition, one must continue to learn the essence and not think of oneself as an exalted one, and, of course, one cannot make money from preaching.
Ideally, a person should realize himself as a spirit, soul, realize Brahman, then elevate to the level of realization of the greatness of God. When a personality realizes himself as a soul, he understands the meaninglessness of material life, and when he understands the greatness of God, he becomes happy and satisfied. Many people write about the rasas of Kṛṣṇa-līlā, but for most people the greatness of God is actually more relevant, because by realizing the greatness of God, the devotee becomes pure. A person strives for his own greatness only for one reason: he does not realize the greatness of God. Therefore, the root of spiritual development is God-realization and preaching.
Everyone should also understand that life in the material world in all its phases is a source of suffering. One should not build all one's spiritual life on the fear of suffering and death, but it is quite necessary to understand these things. When a person understands that everything in the world is temporary, he looks at things soberly. Materialists answer this: "So, shall we lie and die now?" - however, a person who understands the temporality of everything is simply acts more practical. If everything is temporary, why waste yourself on trifles? It is better to do something more substantial. Is this approach bad? To take from life the most important, the most necessary, is not this a sign of reason? And conversely, to turn a blind eye to imminent death, can this be called the presence of common sense? Thus, everyone should understand the temporality of life and everyone should start to solve this problem; this problem is solvable. Therefore, the understanding the temporality of life also belongs to the category of knowledge.
The family is not an obstacle in spiritual life, if it does not interfere with the preaching. Altar worship, study of Śrīla Prabhupāda's books and programs can be organized within the family. Also, husband and wife can preach on the streets from person to person. It is believed that the best preacher is a sannyāsī, but a householder in the quality of his preaching may be no different from a sannyāsī or even better than any sannyāsī. Besides, nowadays it is a time when there are many free women everywhere, and in marital status it is easier to preach from person to person than in sannyāsī status. Therefore, the family is not an obstacle, but one should realize that the family, like everything in the material world, is temporary. The scripture does not say that it is necessary to leave the family, it says that one should not have excessive attachment to the family. In general, a person can live with or without a family, this is not so important. Everyone can act according to their own inclinations - some devotees may have a family, others may be brahmacārī or unmarried preachers, that will be correct behavior.
If a person is balanced, going through pleasant and unpleasant events, this will make him much more stable and truly happy. One way or another, everyone is forced to somehow experience grief, but one should not be too happy about material happiness. There is no point in grieving too much, but there is no point in being too happy. Rather, a person needs to start thinking about God, and thus materialistic happiness and suffering will become less noticeable. When a devotee lives by focus on God and preaching, he experiences a constant uplift that is transcendental to ordinary happiness and sorrow. A devotee experiences all kinds of emotions, but this is already connected with the eternal, connected with God.
When a devotee preaches everywhere, he begins to see all areas of life in terms of preaching. The preacher, in fact, has nothing to renounce, because he uses any situation in the context of preaching. For example, seeing beautiful girls on the street, ordinary people are attracted by them and the faithful have to avoid thinking about the opposite sex, but a devotee goes to such girls, preaching to them and offering Śrīla Prabhupāda's books. The preaching is higher than lust, so by constantly preaching, the devotee rises above lust and feels a higher level of happiness. By putting his senses in spiritual life and preaching, a devotee is always satisfied, peaceful, or more actively happy according to his temperament. Therefore, whatever a devotee sees, he sees everything in the key of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and in the key of preaching - politics, economics, social life, even concerts and any other events he sees in the key of preaching. Using any topic, one can write articles about God, publish leaflets, newspapers and one way or another talk about God to everyone.
The first devotees of the USSR went through great austerity, preaching and going to prison for this; nowadays the situation is much easier. It is important for us to teach people spiritual knowledge, and there is no particular need for them to go to some organization or start to worship some guru. It is necessary to teach people, because without knowledge, any form of worship, in fact, has neither strength nor effectiveness.
Constant and unalloyed devotion arises from knowledge, attachment to God, or renunciation of the fruits of activity. Cleanliness means understanding the contexts of scripture and matching them correctly; cleanliness also means that a devotee does not seek money, religious or worldly fame, and women. By understanding the temporality of nature and the eternity of God, the devotee gradually becomes constant and unshakable. The greatness of God capture the imagination, while māyā, constantly changing, brings endless suffering to everyone. By increasing devotion to God and passing through all the trials of māyā, the devotee inevitably becomes steadfast and stable. As he becomes more and more aware of God, he naturally increases his devotion to Him and feels more and more happiness, which can be expressed in all moods.
Resorting to solitary places. Śrīla Prabhupāda uses this expression to denote this quality, but in the ISKCON edition we find: "aspiring to live in a solitary place." In the synonyms for the Sanskrit "sevitvam" Śrīla Prabhupāda uses "aspiring" (from the verb "aspire" - "to strive, to rush, to dream of"), and in the verse itself - "resorting" (from the verb "resort" - "to appeal, to contact, to visit, to often visit"). Accordingly, quality is described in the verse as "resorting to solitary places," that is, visiting solitary places. ISKCON editors of the English text apparently decided it was wrong, so they not only replaced "resorting" with "aspiring" in the verse, but also added their own, as a result it turned out "aspiring to live in a solitary place". Obviously, to live in a secluded place and to visit secluded places are two different actions.
Generally, real solitude implies the realization of God, otherwise no solitude is possible. The so-called religious people want to seclude from the general mass of people simply by going to live in a deserted place, but since they are not spiritually developed, their desires only intensify in such places and instead of solitude and peace they get a restless mind which is constantly bombarded with various desires. True solitude is the realization of God, such solitude does not depend on the place and is possible in any situation. Living far from society, all sorts of monks and ascetics spend their lives fighting with senses, never have learned anything about God. What is the value of such solitude? Sometimes devotees can chant a mantra in seclusion, but then they preach. The head of all bhajanānandī, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, gives just such an example.
The desire for solitude also means that a devotee is not inclined to accept self-worship. We actively preach, but when it comes to fame, we try to avoid it, and this almost always succeeds to some extent. We preach everywhere - on the streets, in squares, in parks, in factories, in offices, at concerts, in libraries, on the Internet, but we do not have and do not develop any connection with these places. And when fame comes towards a devotee, he thinks about how to avoid it. Anyone who wants to glorify us must study and accept the preaching as the essence of their lives. When they become intelligent and stable, this is the best result and true glory.
Religious people often want to live “piously”, directly detaching themselves from everything “worldly”, which ultimately makes them unhappy and sectarian. We must not shy away from the mundane, but go everywhere with a preaching, such is the true detachment from the masses of people. Aloofness or detachment from the masses of people mean that a devotee is not affected by various vicissitudes, and not that he begins to avoid everyone.
Any external activity is meaningless without self-realization, and the philosophical search for truth provides guidelines in spiritual life. One should not think that the philosophical search for truth is jñāna and the lower level; the philosophical search and logic continue to operate even above the sphere of Goloka. Even the highest aspects of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu can be understood by philosophical search and logic. Philosophy and reasoning do not uplift us in themselves, but they guide us. On the other hand, philosophy combined with spiritual feelings is the essence of spiritual life - bhaktivedanta. Therefore, philosophy is always relevant, both at the initial levels of spiritual life and at the highest levels of the spiritual world. Spiritual philosophy is not an ordinary philosophy, it is eternal, therefore the philosophical search for the Absolute Truth, or comprehension of various qualities of the Supreme Truth, goes on always and forever.