Going back to Godhead from family life (Srimad Bhagavatam #76)

In the presence of the Lord, all material desires look insignificant, and a devotee completely loses interest in them. There is then no more obstacles in one going back to Godhead.

Just as Rāhu, which is normally invisible, sometimes becomes visible in the presence of the full moon, all the material desires stocked in the mind, which are normally invisible until manifested, become visible at once when the devotee attains the constant association of the Lord. One can thus see his entire stock of desires at once and, simultaneously, see the Lord present before him. In the presence of the Lord, all these material desires look insignificant, and a devotee completely loses interest in them. With all material desires destroyed, there is no more obstacle in one going back home, back to Godhead.

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The allegory of the deer

To reinforce the conclusions of the previous allegory and bring the king to a platform of renunciation, Nārada Muni tells him another short allegory, exemplifying the hopeless condition of a person attached to material gratification.

"My dear King, please search out that deer who is engaged in eating grass in a very nice flower garden along with his wife. That deer is very much attached to his business, and he is enjoying the sweet singing of the bumblebees in his garden. Just try to understand his position. He is unaware that before him is a tiger, which is accustomed to living at the cost of another’s flesh. Behind the deer is a hunter, who is threatening to pierce him with sharp arrows. Thus the deer’s death is imminent." (SB 4.29.53-54)

Just as a materialist, the deer is focused on momentary gratification, enjoying the garden with his family, peacefully eating grass, and hearing the sweet sounds of the bees. He doesn't notice, however, that he is surrounded by death and his brief life is going to end in just a moment. This is the same path that was taken by Purañjana in his first life. When we do like this, we live in vain, and our destiny is uncertain.

As Prabhupada explains in his purport: "The human being, just like the deer, enjoys his family without knowing that before him is the factor of time, which is represented by the tiger. The fruitive activities of a living entity simply create another dangerous position and oblige him to accept different types of bodies. For a deer to run after a mirage of water in the desert is not unusual. The deer is also very fond of sex. The conclusion is that one who lives like a deer will be killed in due course of time. Vedic literatures therefore advise that we should understand our constitutional position and take to devotional service before death comes."

In the scriptures, regulated family life is recommended as a progression from sinful life. However, as this passage makes clear, pious family life, even though a step in the right direction, is also not the goal of life. Unless we come to the platform of Krsna Consciousness, transforming our family life into an extension of our service to the Lord, it will still bring us to another body at the end. In his books, Prabhupada explains about family life in Krsna Consciousness, centered around the service to the Lord, which is not contrary to our spiritual development. If we are able to build such a Krsna-conscious family, there is no need to leave it, but if we fail to do so, such a materialistic family will always be a hindrance to our progress.

In materialistic life, relationships are established by interest. A man sees a lady as a source of gratification and thus agrees to maintain her, while the lady sees a man as a source of material resources and thus agrees to satisfy him. Once the relationship is established, one demands from the other, and when the demands are not satisfied, quarrel and divorce follow. Even if it works, the outcome is still not very desirable, because it simply results in material illusion. A materialistic wife or husband is simply interested in increasing her or his sense gratification, and will simply try to use us for that purpose.

As Prabhupada writes in his purport to text 54:

"Materialistic life means forgetting one’s constitutional position as the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, and this forgetfulness is especially enhanced in the gṛhastha-āśrama. In the gṛhastha-āśrama a young man accepts a young wife who is very beautiful in the beginning, but in due course of time, after giving birth to many children and becoming older and older, she demands many things from the husband to maintain the entire family. At such a time the wife becomes detestable to the very man who accepted her in her younger days. One becomes attached to the gṛhastha-āśrama for two reasons only: the wife cooks palatable dishes for the satisfaction of her husband’s tongue, and she gives him sexual pleasure at night. A person attached to the gṛhastha-āśrama is always thinking of these two things — palatable food and sex enjoyment. The talks of the wife, which are enjoyed as a family recreation, and the talks of the children both attract the living entity. He thus forgets that he has to die someday and has to prepare for the next life if he wants to be put into a congenial body."

An important point is that in this passage, Nārada Muni speaks to King Prācīnabarhi; therefore, he speaks from the point of view of a man who needs to renounce his attraction for mundane family life and progress to a platform of devotional service. However, the same instructions are also applicable to ladies. As we already studied, every conditioned soul is a male, in the sense that we all put ourselves in the position of enjoyers of the material world. For a man, "women" means materialistic ladies, while for a lady, "women" means materialistic men, who are interested in sense gratification. Both types of "women" are equally dangerous to one's spiritual progress, and their association has to be eventually abandoned.

In his purport to 4.29.55, for example, Prabhupada explains: "The great sage Nārada clearly instructs King Barhiṣmān not to remain his entire life in the gṛhastha-āśrama. Being in the gṛhastha-āśrama means being under the control of one’s wife. One has to give up all this and put himself into the āśrama of the paramahaṁsa, that is, put himself under the control of the spiritual master. The paramahaṁsa-āśrama is the āśrama of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, under whom the spiritual master has taken shelter."

How does this apply to ladies? See how Prabhupada explains it in his purport to CC Madhya 24.259:

"This is the process of renunciation at the stage of vānaprastha. After enjoying householder life for some time, the husband and wife must leave home and distribute their riches to brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas. One can keep his wife as an assistant in the vānaprastha stage. The idea is that the wife will assist the husband in spiritual advancement. Therefore Nārada Muni advised the hunter to adopt the vānaprastha stage and leave home. It is not that a gṛhastha should live at home until he dies. Vānaprastha is preliminary to sannyāsa. In the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement there are many young couples engaged in the Lord’s service. Eventually they are supposed to take vānaprastha, and after the vānaprastha stage the husband may take sannyāsa in order to preach. The wife may then remain alone and serve the Deity or engage in other activities within the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement."

A lady is not supposed to directly take sannyāsa, but she may accept a renounced life by residing in a temple, or returning home and living under the protection of grown-up children as a saintly lady, absorbed in her spiritual practice, aloof from family affairs. The specific details for a renounced life may be different for men and women, but the goal and mentality are the same. We may stay for some time in family life, growing our children and developing the foundations of our spiritual life, but in old age, it's recommended that we become free from the encumbrances of family life and dedicate our remaining time to perfecting our Krsna Consciousness.

As described in the first canto (SB 1.15.50), after the disappearance of Krsna, the five Pandavas left home for the Himalayas to perfect their devotional service, while Draupadī and Subhadrā attained the same results by staying home and absorbing themselves in thought of Krsna.

Prācīnabarhi abandons his fruitive performances

Concluding his instructions, Nārada makes his final appeal to the King:

"My dear King, just try to understand the allegorical position of the deer. Be fully conscious of yourself, and give up the pleasure of hearing about promotion to heavenly planets by fruitive activity. Give up household life, which is full of sex, as well as stories about such things, and take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the mercy of the liberated souls. In this way, please give up your attraction for material existence." (SB 4.29.55)

At this point, Prācīnabarhi had fully realized the instructions of Nārada Muni. All his life, he was being guided by different spiritual teachers, but they never had instructed him on this high spiritual knowledge, engaging him instead in fruitive sacrifices. In text 56, he concludes that his previous teachers were simply not aware of the real goal of life.

Many students of the Vedas can't see through the lifeless rules and rituals prescribed in the sections about fruitive activity and miss the true purpose of the scriptures. Worse still is that they also misled their followers, just as in the case of Prācīnabarhi. This is the dharmaḥ kaitavo (cheating religion) that is firmly rejected right on the second verse of the Srimad Bhagavatam.

As Srila Prabhupada explains in his purport: "After hearing the instructions of Nārada, King Barhiṣmān came to his senses. The real goal of life is to attain devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The King therefore decided to reject the so-called priestly orders that simply engage their followers in the ritualistic ceremonies without giving effective instructions about the goal of life. At the present moment the churches, temples and mosques all over the world are not attracting people because foolish priests cannot elevate their followers to the platform of knowledge. Not being aware of the real goal of life, they simply keep their congregations in ignorance."

We should, however, be careful not to fall into the same mistake. The Vedas are like a treasure house that contains all kinds of knowledge for different results, but we should be careful to select the most precious jewel of love of Godhead, instead of being distracted by stale ritualistic performances for material gain. As Prabhupada explains:

"Following in the footsteps of Mahārāja Barhiṣmān, everyone should take advantage of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and abandon the stereotyped ritualistic ceremonies that go under the garb of so many religions. The Gosvāmīs from the very beginning differed from the priestly class that was engaged in ritualistic ceremonies. Indeed, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī compiled his Hari-bhakti-vilāsa for the guidance of the Vaiṣṇavas. The Vaiṣṇavas, not caring for the lifeless activities of the priestly classes, take to full Kṛṣṇa consciousness and become perfect in this very life. That is described in the previous verse as paramahaṁsa-śaraṇam, taking shelter of the paramahaṁsa, the liberated soul, and becoming successful in this life."

Prācīnabarhi then inquires further on the process of transmigration of the soul. From his previous teachers, he had heard that we enjoy or suffer the results of our current activities in the next life. It was, however, not clear to him how this happens, since after death, we change our bodies. How can we then enjoy or suffer the results of activities performed in a body that is already lost?

Nārada gives him an elaborate answer from texts 60 to 79, offering a summary of the process of interaction of the soul with the subtle and gross bodies. Here are the main points:

4.29.60-61: The gross body is just an instrument for the subtle body, composed of mind, intelligence, and ego. The root of all actions is the desires of the mind, and the mind moves from one body to the other. Thus, although the gross body changes from one life to the other, it ultimately doesn't matter, because the mind that causes the actions is still there to suffer or enjoy. In fact, the mind is always active even without a gross body, such as when dreaming and in ghostly life. The situation in which we live starts thus in the mind, intelligence, and ego, which, combined, create an atmosphere with desires and ambitions, which is enjoyed first in the subtle body and later in a new gross body created around it. Giving up a gross body thus doesn't change anything, nor prevents one from receiving the results of one's actions. Only when we finally give up the subtle body does our karma stop acting and we attain liberation. For this, we have to purify the mind, intelligence, and ego through our practice of Krsna Consciousness. When they are purified, their activities become spiritual.

4.29.62: As we accept a new gross body, created according to our previous actions and desires, the ego and the activities of the mind are molded around it, and we accept a new identity and different duties and ambitions connected with that. In this way, the Lord allows us to experience the situations we desired in the past, and these actions become another link in the chain of actions and reactions that keep us bound to this material world. As long as we continue desiring materially, the Lord keeps giving us new bodies to satisfy such desires.

4.29.63-65: The activities of the mind guide the actions of the body. When a person is angry, this immediately shows in the face, in the words spoken, or even in direct physical actions such as fighting. In this way, by studying the actions of the body, we can understand the status of the mind, and by understanding the current status of the mind, we can understand one's position in the previous life, since the current mental state is a consequence of it. Similarly, the current activities allow us to understand what the next body is. If a person is now seriously practicing Krsna Consciousness, acting on the transcendental platform, we can understand that he will have a spiritual body in his next life.

The transmigration of the soul can be proved by the fact that we sometimes experience in dreams things that we never saw in this life, such as places and activities. Similarly, we also bring talents and inclinations with us. One who was a great scientist or poet in a past life may show these same inclinations since early childhood, and similarly, one who was practicing Krsna Consciousness will be born with the same inclination.

There is no possibility of thinking of anything we didn't experience in the past. All our previous experiences in millions of lives are stored in the mind, and new desires are constantly produced from it, just like a solution fermenting and producing bubbles.

All of this is caused by our original disease, which is our desire to imitate Krsna and to become an imitation enjoyer in this material world. Krsna respects our free will and allows us to act as we please, but misusing our free will is the beginning of our downfall. Whatever our current situation, however, the goal is the same. We should practice Krsna Consciousness using the body and mind given to us by the Lord and thus revive our original spiritual Consciousness. As Prabhupada explains: "If the mind is purified by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one will naturally in the future get a body that is spiritual and full of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Such a body is our original form, as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu confirms: jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa.’ “Every living entity is constitutionally an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa.” If a person is engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, he is to be considered a liberated soul even in this life."

4.29.66: There is a chain of desires, thoughts, and actions that goes from one life to another, coming from previous lives to this life, and from this life to future lives. According to one's current mentality, we can understand what he was in the previous life, since the current state is a result of the previous actions and experiences. If one is A criminal now, this means he was also a criminal in past lives, and similarly, if one is a devotee now, it means he was a devotee in the past. The consciousness gradually changes, but there is a general constant from one life to the other. Similarly, we can also understand what kind of body one will receive in the future, since the next body will be created from the current mental situation. This also explains why not everyone can immediately adopt Krsna Consciousness, since it is very difficult to advance to a stage of pure devotion without previous practice. However, even the greatest materialist can be induced to at least start, and by doing so, he will have the opportunity of continuing in the next life. Ultimately, our mission is to make everyone at least start their Krsna Consciousness, so they can become devotees in their next lives.

4.29.67-68: Just like a computer, the mind records images, thoughts, and experiences in different bodies. These appear later in different combinations, like the previous experience of seeing gold and seeing a mountain appearing as a golden mountain in a dream. The mind thus produces a constant stream of mental images, thoughts, and desires that make us act in different ways. This makes us continue to produce new material bodies, without an end. The only way to stop this process is to engage our mind in fixed meditation on the form, qualities, and pastimes of the Lord, according to devotional principles.

4.29.69: How can it be said that devotional service removes all the innumerable desires stored in the mind? How can this be possible? The exact process is revealed by Nārada Muni in text 69. Just as Rāhu, which is normally invisible, sometimes becomes visible in the presence of the full moon, all the material desires stocked in the mind, which are normally invisible until manifested, become visible at once when the devotee attains the constant association of the Lord. One can thus see his entire stock of desires at once and, simultaneously, see the Lord present before him. In the presence of the Lord, all these material desires look insignificant, and a devotee completely loses interest in them. With all material desires destroyed, there is no more obstacle in one going back home, back to Godhead. Sometimes, these stored material desires can also be revealed in a dream, with the same result.

Prabhupada explains this process in more detail in his purport: "It has been explained in the previous verse that all desires on the mental platform become visible one after another. Sometimes, however, by the supreme will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the whole stockpile can be visible all at one time. In Brahma-saṁhitā (5.54) it is said, karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām: when a person is fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his stockpile of material desires is minimized. Indeed, the desires no longer fructify in the form of gross bodies. Instead, the stockpile of desires becomes visible on the mental platform by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

To help the King understand these delicate concepts, Nārada offers a second round of explanations, with additional examples of how the soul interacts with the subtle and gross body, and how those coverings result in different forms of consciousness.

4.29.70-71: Nārada starts by reasserting that the root of our material existence is not the gross body, but the subtle body. The gross body is simply an effect of the desires contained in the subtle body; therefore, our material conditioning continues as long as we are encaged in it, and as long as we have a subtle body, we will continue to accept gross bodies as well.

To prove this point, Nārada argues that there are many situations, even in this life, where the circulation of the vital airs is choked, we lose consciousness of the physical body, such as when we faint, enter a state of shock, or when we become unconscious, close to death. However, in none of these situations do our conditioned existence end. The fact we come back to consciousness after these events, be it in the same body, or in a different body, proves that our real identity is different from the gross body. Just as we are not the gross body, we are also not the subtle body, and true knowledge means to realize our eternal nature as souls.

Another situation in which we forget our gross body is when we dream. Free from the identification with the body, our mind is free to create new identities for ourselves in the dream, and under these dreamy identities, we perform actions in the subtle plane. We may think that the dreamy state is illusory, and the awaken state is "real", but Prabhupada raises an interesting point in his purport: "Actually both states — sleeping and waking — are creations of the illusory energy. The living entity actually has no connection with either the activities of sleep or the activities of the so-called wakened state."

As explained by Lord Kapila, the soul remains transcendental to matter even in the conditioned state. Both the dreamy and awaken states are illusory, creations of illusory potency, and the soul has no connection with either. The situation can be compared to a person watching a movie. Even tough we don't directly enter into the movie, this doesn't prevent us from identifying with the story, and when we are absorbed in one movie, we forget the other. Similarly, when watching the movie of the awaken state, the soul forget the dreamy state, and vice-versa. Only by the development of Krsna Consciousness can we awaken to our real identity. As Prabhupada explains:

"Because of our ignorance of the spiritual body, of which we have no experience, we do not know of the activities of the spiritual body, and in ignorance we jump from one false platform to another. We act sometimes in relation to the gross body and sometimes in relation to the subtle body. If, by Kṛṣṇa’s grace, we act in our spiritual body, we can transcend both the gross and subtle bodies. In other words, we can gradually train ourselves to act in terms of the spiritual body. As stated in the Nārada-pañcarātra, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate: devotional service means engaging the spiritual body and spiritual senses in the service of the Lord. When we are engaged in such activities, the actions and reactions of the gross and subtle bodies cease."

4.29.72-73: One could question that the behavior and desires of a child are very different from the one's of a teenager or adult. A young man may have erotic dreams with women due to desire, but a child will not, and similarly, a child will desire toys and plays that are not at all attractive to an adult. Considering that the subtle body, and thus the mind and desires is the same in both states, how can the difference be explained? The answer is very simple: the desires manifest when the senses that allow one to satisfy them become ready. Just as we can't run a software without an appropriate computer, the "software" of the desires remain inactive until the proper "hardware" of the senses is present. A fetus in the womb has its consciousness almost completely covered. Because the senses are not ready, there are almost no desires manifest. A small boy is partly uncovered, and in a young man or woman, the senses mature and desires become fully manifest. The inverse is also true: without desires being present in the subtle body, one will not develop a gross body.

In this way, a child may look very innocent, just as a liberated soul, but their conditions are very different. A liberated soul is really innocent, because his material desires have been destroyed by his practice of self-realization, while a child just looks innocent because the senses are not yet mature, and thus the desires are still in the form of a seed. As soon as the child grows-up, the desires manifest, and one acts like a regular man or woman. The self-realized soul, on the other hand, due to the genuine absence of material desires, does not create another body for himself after passing away.

4.29.74: Sometimes, the word "jīva" is used in the sense of ātma, the pure soul in his original, uncontaminated state (śuddha-jīva). However, in most passages, jīva is used in the sense of jīva-bhūta, the conditioned soul struggling with the senses and mind. We can see that on text 74, for example the jīva is described as the combination of the consciousness of the soul with the material mind and senses.

In his purport, Prabhupada mentions that, "Here it is also explained that the living entity comes in contact with the sixteen material elements and is influenced by the three modes of material nature. The living entity and this combination of elements combine to form what is called jīva-bhūta, the conditioned soul that struggles hard within material nature."

Prabhupada uses the words "jīva", "jīva-ātmā", "living entity" and "conditioned soul" almost interchangeably, sometimes to describe the conditioned soul, the combination of spirit and the subtle body, the particle that transmigrates from one body to the other, and sometimes to describe the pure soul. This purport is important to note, because it is one of the few places where Prabhupada explains this nomenclature. If the word jīva is always taken in the sense of the pure soul, many passages of the scriptures make no sense. One has to be able to understand by the context if a certain passage speaks about the pure soul, or the soul in the conditioned stage.

When Lord Caitanya says "jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’" (It is the living entity’s constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa), for example, He speaks about the pure soul, while when SB 4.29.74 mentions evaṁ pañca-vidhaṁ liṅgaṁ, tri-vṛt ṣoḍaśa vistṛtam, eṣa cetanayā yukto, jīva ity abhidhīyate, it speaks about the conditioned soul. One has thus to understand what is refereed to in each passage according to the context to avoid misunderstandings.

The text explains that the subtle body (liṅgam, in the sense of liṅga-śarīra or sūkṣma-śarīra), plus the five sense objects (pañca-vidham) combine with the consciousness of the soul (cetanayā), resulting in the jīva (the conditioned soul).

Prabhupada explains this in detail in the second half of his purport, interpreting the verse according to the teachings of Lord Kapila in the third canto: "The total material existence is first agitated by the three modes of material nature, and these become the living conditions of the living entity. Thus the subtle and gross bodies develop, and the ingredients are earth, water, fire, air, sky and so on. According to Śrī Madhvācārya, when consciousness, the living force in the heart, is agitated by the three modes of material nature, then the subtle body of the living entity, consisting of the mind, the sense objects, the five senses that acquire knowledge and the five senses for acting in the material condition, becomes possible."

These are very delicate philosophical principles. Lord Kapila explains that the pure soul doesn't directly interact with matter. Rather, the consciousness of the soul (cetanā) is reflected in matter, creating the conditions for the appearance of the subtle body. The "jīva" described in the text (clarified as the jīva-bhūta by Prabhupada in his purport) is thus the combination of this reflected consciousness and the subtle body. The three modes of material nature can't touch the pure soul, but they can influence the subtle body, making one act through the body and senses. How can this be understood?

The situation of the soul in the material world can be compared to a person seated in the cinema, watching a movie. Even tough one doesn't enter into the movie, this doesn't prevent one from being emotionally affected by what he sees in the screen, sharing the anxieties of the hero or heroine, crying with then and so on. At the end of the movie, one is forced to leave the room, and join another session, again sharing the happiness and sorrow of the protagonists. In this example, the scenes of the movie are the actions of the senses, conducted by the three modes. The attention of the soul remains imprisoned for a long time. Even though we are free to leave at any moment, this only happens when we are awakened to our real identity by transcendental knowledge, which finally breaks the illusory identification with the gross and subtle bodies, allowing us to become fixed in the service of the Lord.

4.29.75: The desires stored in the mind make the soul continue to accept new gross bodies, continuing the process of transmigration of the soul. Even after one movie ends, desire makes one enter into another room for a new session, in a never-ending process. In this way, the transcendental soul becomes subjected to false enjoyment, lamentation, fear, happiness and unhappiness, etc. deprived of the bliss of his eternal relationship with Krsna.

Prabhupada makes these points clear in his purport: "According to this explanation, one can clearly understand that originally the living entity was as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead in his pure, spiritual existence. However, when the mind becomes polluted by desires for sense gratification in the material world, the living entity drops into the material conditions, as explained in this verse. Thus he begins his material existence, which means that he transmigrates from one body to another and becomes more and more entangled in material existence. The process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by which one always thinks of Kṛṣṇa, is the transcendental process by which one can revert to his original, spiritual existence. Devotional service means always thinking of Kṛṣṇa."

4.29.76-77: Nārada Muni explains that just as a caterpillar transports itself from one leaf to another by capturing one leaf before giving up the other, the soul captures a new body before giving up the previous one. This explains how one's future body is created from one's current actions and consciousness, and also gives us the key of how to end the process: by practicing Krsna Consciousness in this life, we develop our spiritual body, and when this process is complete, we can leave the current material body to eternally serve the Lord.

As Prabhupada explains: "The root cause of one’s association is the mind. This great Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the greatest boon to human society because it is teaching everyone to think always of Kṛṣṇa by executing devotional service. In this way, at the end of life one may be transferred to the association of Kṛṣṇa. This is technically called nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa, entering into the planet Goloka Vṛndāvana."

4.29.78-79: Nārada concludes his teachings to the King by stating that the root of our conditioning is the desire to enjoy sense gratification. This desire starts from the misuse of our free will, and is increased by our successive coverings of the false ego, intelligence, mind, senses and body. As long as we continue to enjoy sense gratification, we create new material activities for enjoying matter, and through this enjoyment using the senses, we create a new chapter of material activities in the next body. Nothing of this is necessary, it is just a form of self-torture that we impose on ourselves, just as a drug addict who understands the malefices of his vice, but is not determined enough to abandon it and return to a decent life.

However, even if we are not able t immediately surrender to Krsna and completely end our conditioned life, we can start our way back by just working for Krsna, as He explains in the Gītā. When we work for Krsna, our activities are transcendental, and not only doesn't create new karma, but gradually free us from the previous bondage. If we continue in this process, we will gradually come to the stage of performing material activities only for obtaining the bare minimum for maintaining our life, and dedicating the rest of the time for serving the Lord. From this point, we can progress further, all the way to perfection.

As Prabhupada explains: "When we engage ourselves in the devotional service of the Lord to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, we understand not only Kṛṣṇa but everything related to Kṛṣṇa. In other words, through Kṛṣṇa consciousness we can understand not only Kṛṣṇa and the cosmic manifestation but also our constitutional position. In Kṛṣṇa consciousness we can understand that the entire material creation is created by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, maintained by Him, annihilated by Him and absorbed in Him. We are also part and parcel of the Lord. Everything is under the control of the Lord, and therefore our only duty is to surrender unto the Supreme and engage in His transcendental loving service."

Maitreya then concludes by stating that "The supreme devotee, the great saint Nārada, thus explained to King Prācīnabarhi the constitutional position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entity. After giving an invitation to the King, Nārada Muni left to return to Siddhaloka."

In his purport to text 83, Prabhupada summarizes the purpose of the whole narration in explaining our conditioning in the material world and the process of becoming free from it:

"This material creation is the spirit soul’s dream. Actually all existence in the material world is a dream of Mahā-Viṣṇu, as the Brahma-saṁhitā describes: yaḥ kāraṇārṇava-jale bhajati sma yoga-nidrāmananta-jagad-aṇḍa-saroma-kūpaḥ

This material world is created by the dreaming of Mahā-Viṣṇu. The real, factual platform is the spiritual world, but when the spirit soul wants to imitate the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is put into this dreamland of material creation. After being in contact with the material modes of nature, the living entity develops the subtle and gross bodies. When the living entity is fortunate enough to associate with Śrī Nārada Mahāmuni or his servants, he is liberated from this dreamland of material creation and the bodily conception of life."

What happened to the King after being instructed by Nārada Muni?

"In the presence of his ministers, the saintly King Prācīnabarhi left orders for his sons to protect the citizens. He then left home and went off to undergo austerities in a holy place known as Kapilāśrama.

Having undergone austerities and penances at Kapilāśrama, King Prācīnabarhi attained full liberation from all material designations. He constantly engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord and attained a spiritual position qualitatively equal to that of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."(SB 4.29.81-82)

After being instructed by Nārada Muni, Prācīnabarhi decided to immediately leave home, taking shelter at the asrama of Lord Kapila at Gaṅgā-sāgara. There, he dedicated himself to the service of the Lord and attained liberation, assuming a form just like the Lord in Vaikuṇṭha. At the time, the Pracetas were still performing their austerities in the ocean, but the King decided to not wait for them. His duty of self realization was more urgent. He left them a message, with orders form them assuming the throne and protecting the citizens, being sure they would be instructed in performing their duties in the Varnāśrama system, and following the proper regulations.

Maitreya then offers blessings for the sincere students of this important narration:

"My dear Vidura, one who hears this narration concerning the understanding of the living entity’s spiritual existence, as described by the great sage Nārada, or who relates it to others, will be liberated from the bodily conception of life.

This narration spoken by the great sage Nārada is full of the transcendental fame of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Consequently this narration, when described, certainly sanctifies this material world. It purifies the heart of the living entity and helps him attain his spiritual identity. One who relates this transcendental narration will be liberated from all material bondage and will no longer have to wander within this material world." (SB 4.29.83-84)