Volume 3 - Prabhupada Books

Text 139] Talks Between the Lord and Ramananda Raya 175
"Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of
those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth." (Bg. 7.3)
The word siddhaye indicates liberation. Only after being liberated from material
conditioning can one understand Kr�r:Ja. When one can understand Kr�r:Ja as He is
(tattvataf)), one actually lives in the spiritual world, although apparently living
within the material body. This technical science can be understood when one is
actually spiritually advanced.
In his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.187), Srila Rupa Gosvami says:
iha yasya harer dasye
karmaQa manasa gira
nikhilasv apy avasthasu
jivan-mukta/:1 sa ucyate
When a person in this material world desires only to serve Kr�Da with love and
devotion, he is liberated, even though functioning within this material world. As
Bhagavad-gita confirms:
mam ca yo 'vyabhicareQa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma-bhayaya kalpate
"One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any
circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to
the level of Brahman." (Bg. 14.26)
Simply by engaging in the loving service of the Lord one can attain liberation.
As stated in Bhagavad-gita (18.54): brahma-bhataf) prasannatma na socati na
kank�ati. A person who is highly advanced in spiritual knowledge and who has at­
tained the brahma-bhata stage neither laments nor hankers for anything material.
That is the stage of spiritual realization.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura considered the brahma-bhata stage in two divi­
sions-svarupa-gata and vastu-gata. When one has understood Kr�r:Ja in truth but
is still maintaining some material connection, he is known to be situated in his
svarupa, his original consciousness. When that original consciousness is com­
pletely spiritual, it is called Kr�r:Ja consciousness. One who lives in such conscious­
ness is actually living in Vrndavana. He may live anywhere; material location
doesn't matter. When by the grace of Kr�l)a one thus advances, he becomes com­
pletely uncontaminated by the material body and mind and at that time factually
lives in Vrndavana. That stage is called vastu-gata.
One should execute his spiritual activities in the svarupa-gata stage of con­
sciousness. He should also chant the cinmayi gayatri, the spiritual mantras: om