# Material and Spiritual Topics ## 1. What is the difference between soul, mind, and body? The scriptures have analyzed the difference between soul, mind, and body—between spiritual spark, reflection of spirit, and matter. The spirit soul is the proprietor of both body and mind; body and mind are properties of the soul. The soul is the property of the Supersoul. The spirit soul has two bodies or designations. One of them is the subtle designation in the form of the mind, and the other is the gross designation in the form of the body. The external body is made of five gross material elements, which are composed of atoms, and the internal or subtle body directs the external body. In the conditional state, the spirit soul is absorbed in foreign matters through its identification with the mind. Since the spirit soul is dormant at that time, it does not remember that it is meant to serve the Supersoul. Realizing that their master is dormant, the two subordinate servants, body and mind, become busy looking out for their selfish interests rather than for their master’s interest. The mind is changeable, but the soul is unchangeable and eternal. The mind’s activities are to enjoy and renounce matter. The soul’s activity is to serve the Supreme Lord. The mind is able to understand things up to the third dimension, but it has no ability to understand things of the fourth dimension (transcendental objects). It is impossible to understand the Absolute Truth, the transcendental Personality of Godhead, through either material experience or knowledge. ## 2. Does lack of faith in God cause distress? Wherever there is an absence of complete faith in the most auspicious personality, there is bound to be inauspiciousness. Therefore, the ascending or unauthorized path should be totally rejected and the descending or authorized path of disciplic succession accepted. If we really want to benefit, we will have to offer everything we have accumulated since birth to the Lord’s lotus feet without reservation and await His causeless mercy. Until we are favored by a glimmer of His causeless mercy, we will not be able to understand kṛṣṇa-kathā. If we do not have full faith that the Lord alone bestows all auspiciousness, we will not be able to give everything up without hesitation. We may think, “If I give everything to Kṛṣṇa, I may actually lose everything and find myself in trouble if Kṛṣṇa has nothing to give me.” Such doubts are baseless. By maintaining such doubts, we simply invite inauspiciousness. The Lord never refuses His surrendered devotee or leaves his desires unfulfilled. The Lord has the sole power to fulfill all our requirements and to give us full protection. If we can gain this conviction, we will become fearless. We will no longer feel anxiety. We will become happy. It is not possible to describe how much benefit the living entity receives by the Lord’s causeless mercy. When the Lord does bestow His mercy, it’s not that we become satisfied even after serving Him constantly. Rather, we receive an invaluable wealth of transcendental longing for the Lord’s service. We will not lament that we cultivated attraction to the Lord’s name, form, qualities, and pastimes, and we will not think they are boring or that our future is dark with possible disappointment. We will never think we have been cheated by surrendering to His lotus feet. Our most magnanimous, able, and grateful Lord will never throw us into the ocean of disappointment. We have an invaluable jewel called independence, but even in our independence we are dependent on the Lord. The moment we attempt to misuse our independence by opposing this understanding we will bring about our own ruination. If we approach worldly people with high expectations, they can neither fulfill our ambitions nor solve our problems. That is why Bhagavad-gītā clearly instructs us to take complete shelter at Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. He alone is the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Lord. To surrender to Him is the ultimate goal of our life. Simply by surrendering to Him, we perfect our life. We should discuss how to surrender completely despite our anarthas and impediments. ## 3. Why is it that those who live near devotees may not be as good as the devotees? It is true that where there is light there is no darkness, but darkness is present immediately underneath light. Wherever there is light, there is darkness. Wherever there is piety, there has to be some nearby sin. The absence of darkness does not brighten the light. Because there is foolishness, we feel the strength of knowledge. Unless there is distress, we will not realize need. ## 4. What is illusion? Illusion means to accept that which is not—a rope for a snake, for example. Śrī Caitanyadeva never claimed we were our bodies. Rather, He told us that to consider the body as the self was illusion. There is a difference between the body and its owner. The soul is the proprietor and the body is the property. There are two bodies— the gross and subtle—and the soul owns both of them. The mind is the reflection of spirit, and the body is devoid of spirit. We think in terms of “I” and “mine” concerning these bodies, but this is simply illusion, misconception. ## 5. What is the difference between spirit and matter? Matter is that which is devoid of consciousness or spirit. Material objects have no initiative. They have no power to know, will, or feel. Inanimate objects cannot respond to anything, but spirit can. Spirit is present within us, in animals, and proportionately less in plants. ## 6. Why do people visit holy places? The places where the Lord and His devotees perform pastimes are called tīrthas, holy places. Pious people travel to holy places to associate with devotees and to serve them, thereby serving the Supreme Lord. Sinful people travel to holy places for a different reason. They want to accumulate mundane fame and temporarily wash off their sins. They make their journey, but maintain their sinful propensities. Kṛṣṇa’s exalted devotees also enact the pastime of traveling to holy places, but they do so to transform these ordinary places into sacred tīrthas and to purify the contamination accumulated in such places. While there, they search after their worshipable Lord and remain absorbed in the mellows of separation from the Lord. Thus they are intoxicated in His service. ## 7. What is the difference between activities and pastimes? This is the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava philosophy. The difference between karma (activities) and lilā (pastimes) is that karma is performed with the material senses and lilā is performed with the service-inclined spiritual senses. Karma lives in the material world and is based on gross and subtle designations. It is temporary. Lilā, however, is eternal. The conditioned souls enjoy and suffer the threefold miseries through karma. Lilā is the fully independent Supreme Personality of Godhead’s enactment of blissful pastimes executed by His own sweet will. Līlā lives in Vaikuṇṭha or Goloka, which is situated beyond the fourteen worlds, the Virajā River, and Brahmaloka. Even though līlā manifests in this world by the desire of the Lord’s internal potency, it is neither under the control of material nature nor influenced by matter. Rather, it is inconceivable and transcendental by nature. ## 8. What is devotional service and what is nondevotional service? To retain sensual knowledge is called nondevotional service. Nondevotional service flows through three channels: sense gratification, fruitive activities, and the cultivation of impersonal knowledge. To work for our own benefit and for the benefit of others is called karma. To neither work for our own benefit nor for the benefit of others is called jñāna. Pleasing the senses of Śrī Hari, the transcendental Absolute Truth, by renouncing both the cultivation of sensual knowledge and impersonal knowledge is called bhakti. Bhakti does not begin until we are liberated from the hands of both material enjoyment and liberation. ## 9. Some people say that everyone is equal. Are they correct? How can the honest and dishonest, devotee and nondevotee, pious and impious, literate and illiterate, demigod and Supreme Lord, chaste and unchaste, religious and irreligious, light and dark, constitutional and conditional, as well as devotional service and nondevotional service be equal? Everything seems easy to those who are unaware of internal objects or who cannot enter more subtle understandings of them. A foolish boy may claim that his illegible writing has meaning because the writing of an intelligent person has meaning. If illegible writing and meaningful writing are considered equal, foolish people will think that anyone trying to make a distinction between them is guilty of sectarianism or partiality. If we appeal to those who have no understanding of the Supreme Lord Hari to discuss topics about Hari and their conclusion, they will say that to reveal the conclusion would be sectarian. Then they would say that refuting an improper conclusion amounts to blasphemy. They think that because we don’t know everything, better to balance the account by calling everything equal. In this way, everyone will be pleased and we will have created no enmity. But truth and falsehood, devotional and non-devotion, are never one. For those devoid of devotional sentiment, who feel no necessity to serve the Supreme Lord, who do not want actual benefit, and whose life’s goal is material enjoyment and fame, devotional service and pseudo devotional service appear one. ## 10. What is the difference between Vaikuṇṭha and the material world? The spiritual world is the Lord’s supremely pleasant original abode, whereas the material world is the perverted reflection of the spiritual world. The difference between them is that in the spiritual world everything is fully transcendental and there is no question of mundane contamination. Even though spiritual qualities resemble material qualities, still, the material world is the perversely reflected shadow of the spiritual world. All objects in the material world are destined to be ruined in due course of time. Happiness in this world is temporary because all material things and conditions are subject to change according to time, place, and persons. The spiritual world is eternal, devoid of dead matter, all auspicious, and full of variegated happiness. It is adorned with all transcendental qualities and constantly bestows eternal happiness. In the material world, however, there are abominations, displeasures, and scarcities, which constantly create disturbance for the living entities. In our day-to-day life we all realize these facts. ## 11. What is the difference between a jñānīs acceptance of sannyāsa and a bhakta’s acceptance of sannyāsa? Complete sannyāsa means executing devotional service to the Lord. To the jñānīs, who preach ahaṁ brahmāsmi, “I am nondifferent from the Supreme Brahman,” sannyāsa means to give up service to the Supreme Brahman. While accepting the renounced order of life, they renounce the Lord’s service. They are so unfortunate that they cannot understand that actual sannyāsa means to constantly engage in worship of the Supreme Lord. Therefore the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs altogether renounce interest in Kṛṣṇa’s holy names, forms, qualities, associates, and pastimes. The renunciation of bhaktas is different. Bhaktas renounce material enjoyment and the desire for liberation. The Māyāvādīs also renounce material enjoyment when they take sannyāsa, but they also take sannyāsa from devotional service. The bhaktas take shelter at the lotus feet of Śrī Bhakti-devī by renouncing material desires and their attachment to renunciation. The Lord’s devotees do not renounce chanting the transcendental name of the Lord, the tip of whose lotus feet are adored by the personified Vedas. They have not considered the holy name a temporary, material manifestation. Because they come fully under the holy name’s shelter and serve the holy name, they remain constantly eager to chant. ## 12. Who is a materialist? A materialist is one who accumulates material objects for his own pleasure and who engages them as ingredients of his sense gratification. One who accumulates material objects for the Lord’s service is not a materialist but a devotee. It is not possible to differentiate between a material enjoyer and a devotee on the basis of their respective activities, but it is possible to differentiate by studying the motivation of each. One who eats for personal sense gratification is a materialist; one who eats to maintain the body for Kṛṣṇa’s service is a devotee. A devotee is neither a material enjoyer nor a dry renunciant but a servant of the Lord. A devotee engages wealth, material objects, and everything in this world in the Lord’s service. ## 13. If we are faced with a calamity, how should we respond? If we learn to see from the spiritual point of view, from Kṛṣṇa’s point of view, then we will know that everything is all right. If we see only from the material point of view, everything will appear upside down during a calamity. To see from the spiritual point of view means to see through the deductive process under the disciplic succession. This is the proper way to see. To see from the material point of view means to use one’s empiric reasoning, through the senses and with the pride of material knowledge, denying the Lord’s supremacy. The result will be material distress. ## 14. What is the present condition of the living entities? We spend our few days of life busily caring for our bodies, but we never think about what comes after death or what our duty is. The various religions that ordinary human beings meet and which form their current of material thought, are all cheating religions. Śāstra states, pṛthivīte yāra kichu dharma-nāme cale, bhāgavata kahe tāhā paripūrṇa chale: “Whatever is going on throughout the whole world as religion, the Bhāgavata condemns it as cheating.” Someone should make a comparative study to decide whether human society is making progress or lagging behind. The mental speculators always move in the direction opposite to the Absolute Truth. Śrī Caitanyadeva taught everyone to advance on the path of the Absolute Truth. If they are to do that, it is necessary to deliver those who proudly say they will become one with Brahman from their path of illusion. Let people know something good before they die. Thousands of Indian philosophies can be reconciled if people are given the opportunity to associate with Śrī Caitanyadeva’s devotees. People bereft of foresight spend their days eating food mixed with cockroach stool, thinking there is nothing else to eat. Some of these people say there is no need to live in this world and think it better to finish their existence altogether. Their philosophy is more or less like the philosophy of Sākhya Siṁha. ŚrīŚaṅkarācārya has said that Brahman is factual while everything else is false. Moreover those who preach the philosophy of materialism are busy pursuing their altruistic ideas. They are eager to accumulate mundane knowledge. But the flow of thought should be directed toward the spirit. An opposing force deludes humans. By discussing topics of the Supreme Lord, one can remain unaffected by it. If one sees the material world as an ingredient for the Lord’s service, then there will be no more distress. All our miseries are because we do not cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Whatever Lord Kṛṣṇa said in Bhagavad-gītā, Mahāprabhu summarized in these words as follows: jīvera ’svarūpa’ haya—kṛṣṇera ’nitya-dāsa’, kṛṣṇera ’taṭasthā-śakti’ ’bhedābheda-prakāśa’ It is the living entity’s constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa because he is the marginal energy of Kṛṣṇa and a manifestation of simultaneously one with and different from the Lord. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 20.118) kṛṣṇa bhuli’ sei jīva anādi-bahirmukha, ataeva maya tāre deya saṁsāra-duḥkha Forgetting Kṛṣṇa, the living entity has been attracted by the external feature from time immemorial. Therefore, the illusory energy [Maya] gives him all kinds of misery in his material existence. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 20.117) The Lord says, “O living entity! You have been averse to Me since time immemorial. You were also God conscious and could have served Me, but instead you demanded service from Me. Despite being manifest from the Absolute Truth, you have become materially conditioned, trying to enjoy independently. You are trying to be the master, but know for certain that you are always a servant.” We are the Supreme Lord’s servants. If instead of serving the Lord we demand service from Him, we will never achieve auspiciousness. Lord Hari is everyone’s master; everyone is His servant. It is everyone’s duty, therefore, to hear hari-kathā. Material topics do not constitute hari-kathā. It is the spiritual master who speaks hari-kathā and the disciple who listens. A listener must be submissive. Those who are reluctant to hear will not find benefit when hari-kathā is spoken to them. A listener must be both eager to hear and inquisitive. If one wants to waste time he will allow himself to be influenced by the current of other thoughts. If he is fortunate, he will search only after pure hari-kathā. The Śāstra states, tad-dinaṁ durdinam manye meghāchhanam na durdinam, yad-dinaṁ kṛṣṇa samlāpa kathā pīyuṣa varjitaṁ: “A cloudy day is not inauspicious, but a day devoid of discussing kṛṣṇa-kathā is actually inauspicious.” ## 15. Why are people, devoid of the desire to serve the Supreme Lord, as good as animals? Serving the Lord is the living entity’s only duty. Animals do not have this knowledge. The animals know only their own sense gratification and the sense gratification of their community. They do not know anything other than sense gratification. If human beings are similarly busy seeking their own happiness and sense gratification— if they simply spend their time eating, sleeping, mating, and defending like animals—and if they do not develop the propensity to serve and please the Supreme Lord, then what else can they be called but animals in a human form? It is the occupational duty of the human being to desire Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure and to render Him devotional service. Anyone who practices devotional service is eligible to be called human. Śāstra states, dharmena hīna paśubhiḥ samānaḥ: “Without religion, people are animals.” Desiring one’s sense gratification is the business of an animal, and desire to please Kṛṣṇa is the business of a human being. ## 16. Did humans create religion? Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.3.19) states: dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītaṁ, na vai vidur ṛṣayo nāpi devā na siddha-mukhyā asurā manuṣyāḥ, kuto nu vidyādhara-cāraṇādaya Real religious principles are enacted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although fully situated in the mode of goodness, even the great ṛṣis, who occupy the topmost planets, cannot ascertain the real religious principles, nor can the demigods or the leaders of Siddhaloka, to say nothing of the asuras, ordinary human beings, Vidyādharas and Cāraṇas. The supreme religious principles, bhāgavata-dharma, were not created by humans, nor were they created after the creation of human beings. They are eternal and will continue to be eternal, unchangeable, and uninterrupted. Devotional service to Lord Hari is the religious principle. Apart from bhakti, all other concocted religious systems that have been, are, and will be preached in this world, are manmade temporary religions, religions opposed to the supreme religious principle. Bhāgavata-dharma, param-dharma, or ātmā-dharma cannot be merged with the religion of the body. Therefore Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa instructs us in Bhagavad-gītā to give up all varieties of religion and surrender unto Him. Bhagavad-gītā (18.66) states: sarva-dharmān parityajya, mām ekaṁśaraṇaṁ vraja/ ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo, mokṣayiṣyāmi māśucaḥ: “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” Bhāgavata-dharma is the spirit soul’s eternal propensity. The spirit soul was present even before the creation of human beings. Devotional service, which is the eternal propensity of the eternal spirit soul, is also eternal. The true religious process or sādhana is that which awakens the spirit soul’s constitutional propensity. It is the function of worldly moralities to transform animal-like humans into proper humans, but bhāgavata-dharma is above this. Cultivation of bhāgavata-dharma is eternally necessary to award the living entities the complete qualification to engage in the Supreme Lord’s service. Bhāgavata-dharma makes no arrangement for sense gratification. It consists in cent-percent eternal service to the transcendental Lord. This is the only way to attain actual happiness, unlimited pleasure. We should know that vox populi is not the same as vox dei, but the word of God should be the word of the people. Popular opinion is not the same as God’s opinion, although the Supreme Lord’s opinion should be the opinion of pious people. This is what the mahājanas instruct. People who mix spirit with matter say just the opposite. They say, yata mata tata pata: “As many opinions, as many ways.” How amazing! The popular voice should be the voice of the Supreme Lord! People think that the process of attaining Him, where every popular opinion is given equal credence, should be as highly regarded as love and devotion to the Supreme Lord, even though in those processes devotion is totally absent. Wherever popular opinion is the criteria for ascertaining the Absolute Truth, non-duplicitous truth is far from being realized. ## 17. Whose offerings does the Supreme Lord accept? The Lord eats the offerings from those who know how to invite and feed Him. Not everyone is able to call Him to eat. If they do not know, how will they feed Him? If a learned nondevotee offers food to the Lord with the proper recitation of mantras, the Lord does not accept His offering. Finely cooked rice mixed with ghee and various cooked vegetables offered by a nondevotee does not attract the Lord’s attention. But anything offered by even a beggar inclined toward the Lord’s service in any way attracts His attention and love. ## 18. What is the nature of love? Love and hate are different. It is the spirit soul’s nature to love God; it is the mental speculator’s nature to hate Him. On the platform of love—the platform of devotional service, of supreme religious principles, and of service to the Lord—there is no conflict of interest,. There is only complete harmony. As soon as we fall down from the platform of cultivating love of God, however, we begin to see one another as objects of enjoyment. The entire human race is meant to serve Kṛṣṇa. When people realize this, they will no longer have problems. They will understand themselves as Vaiṣṇavas and there will be natural loving exchanges between themselves and other Vaiṣṇavas. There is no love in this material world, because everywhere here has a conflict of interest. ## 19. Manmade religion does not appear to be the eternal religion of the soul. What is your opinion in this regard? Apart from the sanātana dharma described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the bhāgavata dharma preached by Śrī Caitanyadeva, every other religion born from human knowledge is filled with imagination and cheating. Bhāgavata dharma, the pure religion of the soul that Śrī Caitanyadeva preached, is the only religion free from cheating. It is therefore approved and practiced by nonenvious saintly persons. Bhāgavata-dharma is the eternal religious principle received through disciplic succession. Various current religious systems are manufactured religion; that is, mental speculation. They are not the soul’s eternal religion. Caitanya-caritāmṛta states, caitanya-gosāñi yei kahe, sei mata sāra āra yata mata, sei saba chārakhāra: “Whatever meaning Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu gives is perfect. Any other interpretation is only a distortion.” (Madhya 25.45) As the soul is eternal, so our occupational duty is eternal. God enacts religious principles. No one other than the twelve mahājanas and their followers know about them. How, therefore, can religion be created by man? ## 20. Is a renunciant conditioned by matter? Both bhogīs and tyāgīs are conditioned. Only the devotees are eternally engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s service. The devotees are neither bhogīs nor tyāgīs. The devotees have no personal desire for sense gratification. Rather, they are engaged always in satisfying the Supreme Lord. But both bhogīs and tyāgīs desire material enjoyment and thus suffer material distress. The devotees have no material desire—they are completely free from material desire—so they are actually happy. The occupational duty of the living entity is to serve the Supreme Lord. As soon as the living entity becomes indifferent to the Lord’s service, the living entity desires to master the material world. If we are careful we will not face disturbance either in this world or the next, because we will engage in Kṛṣṇa’s service. ## 21. What are the functions of the external and internal energies of the Lord? The perishable material world was created by the Lord’s external energy, in which the three modes of material nature are active. The eternal spiritual world was manifested by the Lord’s internal energy, in which the three potencies, namely, hlādinī, sandhinī, and saṁvit are active. The world manifested by the internal energy and the world created by the external energy are different from one another. The living entity is constitutionally both one with and different from the Lord; he was created by the Lord’s marginal energy. These three energies—the material, spiritual, and marginal—are eternal. As soon as the living entities, who belong to the Lord’s marginal energy, desire to enjoy the temporary material world, they suffer various miseries. As soon as the godless living entities become averse to the Lord’s service, they are attacked by the Lord’s external energy, Maya. But when they are inclined toward the Lord’s service the Lord’s internal energy helps them serve the Lord. ## 22. Are sects such as the Āul and Bāul not Vaiṣṇava? The Āuls and Bāuls are not Vaiṣṇavas. They artificially dress as renunciants, but keep women with them. Even though the activities of a devotee and the mischievousness of a pseudo devotee appear the same from the external viewpoint, there is a gulf of difference between them, just as there is a difference between milk and water mixed with limestone. The difference between them is like the difference between the sky and the earth. Śāstra states, asat-saṅga-tyāga,—ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra/ ’strī-saṅgī’—eka asādhu, ’kṛṣṇābhakta’ āra: “A Vaiṣṇava should always avoid the association of ordinary people. Common people are very much materially attached, especially to women. Vaiṣṇavas should also avoid the company of those who are not devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa.” The Bābājīs who live in cottages are attached to women and are nondevotees. Their association should be firmly rejected. Otherwise it will be impossible to worship Hari. At the same time, it is always better not to criticize people. So we stay away from such bad association. Let the nondevotees think about sinful activities and the devotees think about the Supreme Lord. We will follow in the footsteps of the devotees. ## 23. What is the difference between impersonal monists and Vaiṣṇavas who follow Vedānta? Impersonal monist or Māyāvādīs are partial to impersonalist philosophy, whereas Vaiṣṇavas who follow Vedānta believe in the philosophy of eternal personalism. Impersonalists are covered atheists, whereas Vaiṣṇavas are sincere theists. Impersonalists follow the ascending path, whereas Vaiṣṇavas follow the descending path. Impersonalists are opposed to surrendering to the Lord, whereas Vaiṣṇavas favor eternal, unalloyed surrender to the Lord. ## 24. What are the developmental stages of religion? There are two paths of gradual development in the world of religion: the gradual development of sense gratification or material knowledge, and the gradual development of Kṛṣṇa’s sense gratification or transcendental knowledge. The more one gradually develops sense gratification or material knowledge, the more one’s sense of godlessness increases. The more one gradually develops Kṛṣṇa’s sense gratification or transcendental knowledge, the more one’s faith in God grows. In the gradual development of sense gratification or material knowledge, the first stage is atheism, then skepticism, then agnosticism, then impersonalism, and finally voidism. In the gradual development of Kṛṣṇa’s sense gratification or transcendental knowledge—that is, when the conception of spiritual variegatedness surpasses the stages of impersonal Brahman and Vāsudeva without His energies, the first stage is the worship of Lakṣmī-Nārāyana, the second is the worship of Sītā-Rāma, the third is the worship of Rukmiṇī-Dvārakādīśa, and the fourth is the worship of Rādhā-Govinda. As human beings gradually develop sense gratification, Rādhā-Govinda’s transcendental pastimes appear to them obscene, while the pastimes of Rukmiṇī-Dvārakādīśa appear a little bit better. Moreover, they consider the idea of Rāmacandra, who vowed to accept only one wife, as more ethical than the behavior of Dvārakādīśa Kṛṣṇa, who accepted many wives. They consider Lakṣmī-Nārāyana to be more pure than Rāmacandra. Moreover, they imagine that the conception of Vāsudeva without His śaktis to be more ethical than the conception of the Supreme in the form of male and female. But to imagine Vāsudeva, who is full of spiritual energies, without His energies, is the first step toward atheism and impersonalism. In this way through the exercise of material knowledge, one ultimately ends up with impersonal Brahman. Impersonalism tries to perpetually separate the Absolute Truth from His eternal spiritual characteristics. In other words, it endeavors to destroy the existence of His transcendental personality. When this conception is further advanced, it embraces the philosophies of Jainism and Buddhism. Overly ethical Jainism and Buddhism transform the spiritual concept into a material concept, theism into atheism or voidism. Thus the gradual development of sense gratification distracts human intelligence from the idea of gratifying Kṛṣṇa’s senses and sets a course toward the deep water of godlessness. The more the living entities advance on the path of their own sense gratification by being distracted from the concept of gratifying Kṛṣṇa’s senses, the more they rush toward godlessness. ## 25. What is real danger according to a devotee? Those who consider worldly scarcities, difficulties, and the threefold miseries of material existence to be dangerous end up aspiring for religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation. Both sense enjoyers and renunciants consider their failure to fulfill their respective self-interest as dangerous, whereas the Lord’s devotees consider anything that hinders their endeavor to please the Lord’s senses dangerous. Since the desire for religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation place obstacles on the path of gratifying Kṛṣṇa’s senses, the devotees want freedom from those dangers. This means that the Lord’s devotees desire to become liberated from material enjoyment and the desire for salvation. ## 26. What mentalities do the karmī, jñānī, and bhakta have? Normally, human beings do not want to understand anything other than their own sense gratification. Karmīs want to be happy, even at the cost of hundreds of thousands of other people’s inconvenience. Jñānīs want to renounce both the happiness and distress of this world and become impersonalists. Karmīs are busy trying to prove their superiority, while jñānīs heave a sigh of relief when they can establish that the all-powerful Supreme Lord is impotent. Since in both cases the Supreme Lord’s energy is neither accepted nor glorified, persons who desire auspiciousness accept the path of bhakti rather than karma or jñāna. A devotee wants to fully depend on and give pleasure to the Lord. All their activities and knowledge are used simply to gratify Kṛṣṇa’s senses. To offer everything to the Lord is called devotional service. Anything opposed to this conception is not devotion. Bhaktas are free from material desire. They possess not even a tinge of the desire the karmīs, jñānīs, and yogīs have for sense gratification. Instead, they are always eager to please the Lord. They are humbler than a blade of grass. They have no thought or business other than to serve the Supreme Lord. Therefore they are fearless, free from anxiety, and happy. The karmīs and jñānīs, however, are restless and unhappy, driven as they are by their material desires. Caitanya-caritāmṛta states, kṛṣṇa-bhakta—niṣkāma, ataeva ’śānta’, bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmīsakali ’aśānta’: “Because a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa is desireless, he is peaceful. Fruitive workers desire material enjoyment, jñānīs desire liberation, and yogīs desire material opulence; therefore, they are all lusty and cannot be peaceful.” ## 27. Is it good to become a renunciant? We will become neither sense enjoyers nor dry renunciants. Rather, we will become devotees, servants, of the Lord. Those who hanker after religiosity, economic development, and sense gratification are cheaters and are not devotees. Those renunciants who desire liberation also cheat; devotees want only to serve Kṛṣṇa. The dry renunciants may appear to have been saved from the pain of material enjoyment, but their policy is like sleeping on the floor because the couch is broken. Their happiness or distress, depends only on them and has nothing to do with the Lord. The devotees give up material enjoyment and remain engaged in devotional service purely for Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure. Hence they receive eternal benefit and become eternally happy. Whatever inconvenience we may experience comes when we try to take advantage of the Supreme Lord. Some say they will become Kṛṣṇa and enjoy beautiful women, while others say they will become beautiful women and enjoy Kṛṣṇa. Both are full of material desires. Unless we see every object in relation to Kṛṣṇa, we will either indulge in sense gratification or dryly renounce it. Both karma (material enjoyment) and jñāna (renunciation) are opposed to devotional service because there they contain no hari-kathā. The root of both material enjoyment and renunciation is personal happiness. Bhakti, however, is rooted only in the desire to please the Supreme Lord. ## 28. What is an impure mind? The heart that accepts and rejects things is the living entity’s mind, and the heart that is constantly engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s service by giving up both karma and jñāna is the pure mind. It is in the pure mind that the Supreme Lord finds enjoyment. Form, taste, smell, sound, and touch are called viṣaya, objects of sense gratification. The mind that proudly considers itself the enjoyer is materially absorbed and impure. One who has such a contaminated mind cannot realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Hari. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is realized in the heart purified by devotional service. ## 29. What is anartha? Our self-interest is the Absolute Truth, Lord Hari. Anything opposed to that self-interest, such as desire for sense gratification, is anartha, the principal impediment on the path to the Lord’s service. Anartha means Maya. Even though something in māyās realm appears real, it is illusory. Anarthas cause interruptions in one’s remembrance of the Lord and thereby allow material thoughts to take over. Therefore, anarthas are obstacles on the path of self-interest and must be overcome. ## 30. What are worldly peace and worldly disturbance? God is one, but the living entities are many. Since we have developed relationships with the many, our relationship with the one, God, has diminished. In the world of consciousness, everyone is engaged in the service of the One, God, and there is neither worldly happiness nor worldly distress in that world. Material happiness and distress are born of thirst for matter. When our enjoyment is temporarily absent, we experience distress, and when we temporarily achieve enjoyment, we call that happiness. We do not understand that temporary happiness is the primary stage of distress. Happiness and distress are both changeable. We are happy when our distress dissipates and in distress when our happiness lessens. Despite this knowledge, however, people sacrifice their lives simply to attain some temporary happiness and prosperity. ## 31. What are intolerance and impatience? Intolerance and impatience create problems in life, so we should learn tolerance and patience. It is important to be tolerant during dangerous times. Examples of impatience are: to rush to a liquor shop upon finding one while walking down the street, to try to become rich on seeing a rich man’s wealth, to rush to enjoy the beauty of a beautiful object, and to try to become wise upon seeing others’ learning. ## 32. Are karma and jñāna the constitutional duty of the soul? It is not the constitutional goal of the living entity to become either a karmī or a jñānī. Since the living entities are servants of the Supreme Lord, service to Kṛṣṇa is their eternal occupational duty. Both karmīs and jñānīs are selfish, busy for their own happiness. They are not bhaktas but abhaktas. Thus rather than becoming karmīs or jñānīs, pious persons traverse the path of devotional service by taking shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet. ## 33. Who is considered a nondevotee? Those who eternally serve Viṣṇu are called Vaiṣṇavas and those who do not, although they are supposed to, are called non-Vaiṣṇavas. Non-Vaiṣṇavas hear topics unrelated to Viṣṇu, contemplate subject matters unrelated to Viṣṇu, and consider eating, sleeping, mating, and defending as religious principles. It is our eternal function to hear and speak kṛṣṇa-kathā and to follow in the footsteps of saintly persons. Remnants of Lord Viṣṇu’s foodstuffs should form our regular meal. If we are bereft of these services, we are non-Vaiṣṇavas. As nondevotees, we will suffer from various forms of distress, but the cause of all our distress will be our aversion to serving the Lord. We suffer because we do everything but serve the Lord. Controlled by our own independence we have abandoned the Lord’s service and instead have tried to get others to serve us. With such a mentality, we pose as the doer. Because we forget that we are meant to serve the Lord, misconceptions such as, “I am the enjoyer,”“I am the proprietor,”“I am the director,” and, “I am the seer” swallow us. Only when we approach a saintly person can we know that we are not enjoyers or proprietors but simply servants of the Lord. Serving Him is our ultimate duty. A fruitive worker traverses the path of karma. Often, such persons want to become famous by performing welfare activities. They want to attract the attention and sympathy of their relatives by serving them. However, karmic activities will give us neither benefit nor freedom from material existence. Therefore the devotees inform us that service to the Lord is our prime duty—and not only our duty as human beings, but the duty of the demigods, animals, and birds. Rather than heeding the devotees’ words, people think that they have many duties to perform and many responsibilities to carry out. They think they have to be educated, civilized, to perform and rebuild society, and they hope to enjoy family life, mastership, ride in cars, and get their children married. These are all non-Vaiṣṇava, aversion to the Lord’s service. ## 34. Who is qualified to recite Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam? One whose life and activities are based on the teachings of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam should serve Hari at every moment and with every breath of life. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is directly the Absolute Truth. One should not recite the Bhāgavatam as a business; the Bhāgavatam is worshipable. Therefore a professional reciter or contractor cannot describe Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Before hearing a Bhāgavatam recital, one should try to see whether the reciter is serving the Bhāgavata twenty-four hours a day or not. One reciting for a stipend or on contract cannot explain the Bhāgavata. Refrain from approaching professional priests. See first whether they devote themselves fully to the Bhāgavata. Simply becoming an expert in the Purāṇas does not make one qualified to explain Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śāstra establishes that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is not understood by those possessing only an academic knowledge of scripture. To understand it requires devotion. A person who explains Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam must himself be a bhāgavata. If one desires wealth or fame from his recitation of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then even though he becomes a renowned reciter, he will actually be far away from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from such a person, the people’s hearts will not become attracted toward the Absolute, which is the goal of the Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is not glorified when coming from the mouth of a person who is not a pure devotee and who does not base his life on the Bhāgavatam’s teachings. Such a person cheats himself and cheats others by making a show of his recitation. The relationship between the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam reciter and the audience is not like the relationship between a professor and his students. A professor who can nicely explain a lesson to his student is considered the best professor. It does not matter whether his lifestyle or character are exemplary. However, a Bhāgavatam reciter must follow the Bhāgavatam’s teachings before he will be able to preach. Caitanya-caritāmṛta states that unless one practices, he cannot teach religious principles to other. One of loose character, who is lusty, full of material desires, and who wants wealth and fame can never explain Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Such a person simply gratifies his senses on the pretext of reciting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. ## 35. How do materialists and spiritualists see things differently? Spiritual topics may often sound unpleasing, whereas discussions of sense gratification are always pleasing. The audience often wants a speaker to speak about what they like to hear, whereas a transcendentalist will want to hear impartial truth even if the message sounds bitter. Materialists busily search out their own happiness, whereas transcendentalists eagerly seek Kṛṣṇa’s happiness. Materialists do not follow Śrī Vyāsadeva, whereas transcendentalists follow the path traversed by the mahājanas. Transcendentalists want to follow the path shown by the great personalities; they follow the descending path of Vedic knowledge, whereas materialists follow the unauthorized, concocted, ascending path. ## 36. What are the various concepts of karmīs, jñānīs, and bhaktas? A karmī is a sense enjoyer, a jñānī a renunciant or a covered sense enjoyer, and a devotee a servant of the Supreme Lord. Dry renunciants think, “I will become one with the supreme Brahman and leave the ingredients for my sense gratification in this world.” It is the habit of impersonalists to attack the Supreme Lord, the bhaktas, and the philosophy of bhakti. They think, “Whatever we do, even if we sit at Kāśī and play chess, we will become Lord Śiva as soon as we die.” Sinful people think, “We will enjoy everything by causing trouble to others.” Pious fruitive workers think, “In order to accumulate piety, we will give charity, meditate, and serve saints. We will work hard, earn money, and save it for our relatives and descendants.” A bhakta thinks, “We will accumulate wealth only for the service of Hari, guru, and those Vaiṣṇavas who are worshiping the Lord at present and who will worship the Lord in future. Let all our wealth be spent for the worship of Hari.” ## 37. What is the difference between the material and the spiritual worlds? The material world is the perverted reflection of the eternal spiritual world and is full of imperfections. The variegatedness of this world includes temporality, imperfection, and perversion. In the spiritual world everything is spiritual. The place, time, and inhabitants are all transcendental and exist eternally there. There the object of service is one without a second. Since there are many servants, there is no lack of consistency. It is only when we consider the one object of service plural do we experience problem, although there is no fault in accepting variety in the Absolute Truth’s energies. ## 38. Can there be one spiritual master for all religions? Forget about many religions. There is only one real religion. Similarly, there is only one spiritual master. The one religion is the eternal religion of the soul. Everything else is either the religion of the body or mind. Regarding these religions there are various opinions and modes of worship. They have nothing to do with the religion of the soul. Religion of the soul is one without the second, and it contains no scarcity of variety. It is not boring but is the spontaneous propensity of the pure spirit souls, who are transcendental to all material contamination. ## 39. Is the phrase “As many opinions, as many paths” correct? Opinion is born from mental speculation. As there are innumerable living entities, there are innumerable thoughts and tastes. The path that has been created, is being created, and will be created in the future by peoples’ whims can never be the eternal occupational duty of the spirit soul (sanātana-dharma). Although there have been and will be innumerable opinions based on mental speculation, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the king of all śāstras, declares, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo, yato bhaktir adhokṣaja/ ahaituky apratihatā, yayātmā suprasīdati: “The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.2.6) The philosophy of “as many opinions, as many paths” found in this world is a path born from material knowledge; it is a path favorable to the material world. It is unmotivated, uninterrupted devotional service to Hari that is the supreme opinion for all humanity. The soul can be happy by no other means. Since other religious principles and processes award little pleasure to body or mind, gross materialists and mental speculators consider such religious principles and processes as their ultimate goal. Discussions of the Absolute Truth must be heard from the living source. Then the living entities can attain highest eternal benefit. Otherwise, there will be danger at every moment for those who are misguided. ## 40. What is Maya? Maya means “that which is not.” That which is not the Supreme Lord. The Lord is the positive and Maya is the negative idea devoid of God. ## 41. Do Vaiṣṇavas follow the ascending path or the descending path? Although there are innumerable types of philosophical thought, they can be divided into two categories. One is the path of disciplic succession (the descending path) and the other is the path of mental speculation (mental experience or the ascending path). Moreover, many people advertise themselves as followers of the descending path who actually follow the ascending path. Mahāprabhu called them unauthorized followers of the disciplic succession. When Śrī Caitanyadeva referred to the Māyāvādīs in a conversation with Sārvabhauma Bhattācārya, a follower of the Vedānta school, he called Māyāvādīs covered atheists. veda nā māniyā bauddha haya ta’ nāstika, vedāśraya nāstikya-vāda bauddhake adhika The Buddhists do not recognize the authority of the Vedas; therefore they are considered agnostics. However, those who have taken shelter of the Vedic scriptures yet preach agnosticism in accordance with the Māyāvāda philosophy are certainly more dangerous than the Buddhists. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 6.168) One cannot obtain spiritual knowledge through mental speculation. As the Ganges flows from the Himalayas through Gomukh, the flow of transcendental knowledge flows from the mouth of the spiritual master to the disciple. The spiritual master is the Supreme Lord’s messenger. He carries the Lord’s message to us from the transcendental world. The Vaikuṇṭha news that the spiritual master is carrying can only be accepted through service-inclined ears. We have to hear about Calcutta from someone who has seen Calcutta. Instead of challenging such a person, we should submit ourselves and hear from him humbly. No one should decry the habit of honest, inquisitive hearing, as if it were less intelligent than presenting challenges. Therefore the śāstras declare that the spiritual master must be given the minimum period of one year to examine whether the disciple is approaching him with challenge or an honest inquisitiveness. We should approach a spiritual master and hear from him submissively, not challenge him. We must be careful about this. Hearing in this way means that we are receiving knowledge through the descending process, the path of disciplic succession. ## 42. Some people say “Time is money.” Is that true? The idea that “time is money” is not correct. Rather, that “time is precious” is a better motto. Instead of thinking that life or time is what gives us our temporary material benefits, we should spiritualize time by engaging whatever time we have in the Lord’s service. Even while busy with our various worldly activities, we must pay attention to our spiritual advancement. If money is not spent properly, it will increase our anarthas and prolong our material existence. It takes intelligence to use wealth in the service of Nārāyaṇa, the Lord of wealth. Wealth is the father of all enjoyment. Therefore, it should be offered to Lord Mādhava for His service. If we do not spend our hard-earned money for a spiritual cause, then that money will ruin us. We will become degraded and eventually meet death. It will make us forget God, because material enjoyment clears the path for destruction. Rich people often save their hard-earned money for their descendants. But their descendants in turn finish all their wealth in a moment by misusing it. In this, they go to hell and send their forefathers to hell as well. ## 43. Who is a devotee and who is a nondevotee? Devotees serve Lord Hari and have no other duty. They treat the Lord’s mission as their own. They know no one but the Lord. Pious persons practicing devotional service worship Lord Hari. People devoid of devotion are unconscious, inert, sense enjoyers. Karmīs, jñānīs, yogīs, and ascetics are all nondevotees. They are simply busy with their own self-interest. The śāstras state, “A person who does not serve the Lord is dead though he is breathing.” If we do not serve the Lord, then the tendency of enjoyment will overcome us and make us servants of Maya. Unless we are engaged in the Lord’s service twenty-four hours a day, Maya will swallow us. Because we fail to see every object in relationship to Kṛṣṇa, we become misguided, considering ourselves enjoyers. The Lord’s devotees are not sense enjoyers, fruitive workers, or mental speculators. They do not serve matter. Only nondevotees desire to master matter. Devotional service is the devotees’ treasury; it is their life and soul. It is their internal propensity to try to please Kṛṣṇa. The nondevotees are just the opposite: they are busy arranging for their own happiness. ## 44. What is the living entity’s constitutional duty? Religiosity, economic development, and sense gratification are considered categories of karma, while liberation is considered a category of jñāna. In order to deliver human society from the witches of material enjoyment and liberation, bhāgavata-dharma manifests in this world. Human society has decided that either material enjoyment or the freedom from material enjoyment is its only religion. But bhāgavata-dharma has created a revolution in the thoughts of the entire human society. The Bhāgavatam instructs: “The eternal occupational duty of all living entities is to engage in the service of the transcendental Personality of Godhead, after getting freedom from the desire for material enjoyment and liberation.” If the integral parts, the living entities, want to fulfill their self-interest, independent of the Supreme Lord, their downfall is inevitable. A living entity’s happiness lies in his endeavor to please the Supreme Lord. His distress comes when he tries to achieve personal happiness. Religion is divided into two categories. One is the religion of measuring everything according to our sensual knowledge, and the other is the religion of worshiping transcendence. By following the former, one can never attain the Supreme Lord’s association. Unrestricted material enjoyment, karma, jñāna, yoga, and observing vows, fall into this former category. Every other religion teaches the philosophy of enjoyment and renunciation, but bhāgavata-dharma teaches service to the transcendental Lord. Thus the philosophy of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is unique. We should put the philosophy of sense gratification, karma, and jñāna on one side of the scale and the teachings of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam on the other. Then we should make a comparative study to see which side of the scale is heavier. Put the pure worship of Viṣṇu on one side and the worship of Sūrya, Gaṇeśa, Durgā, and Śiva, along with hypocritical worship of Viṣṇu based on considering Him a demigod, on the other. Let the intelligent decide which side has undivided truth. ## 45. How can one actually observe an object? We must find the link between whatever object we come across in our day-to-day life and Kṛṣṇa, because every object is an integral part of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, to discover the factor that unites them is actual observation of an object. ## 46. Are devotional service and material enjoyment two separate things? Devotional service and material enjoyment are not the same. Wherever there is devotional service there is no question of material enjoyment, and wherever there is material enjoyment there is no trace of devotional service. Material enjoyment comes into effect when one considers himself the enjoyer, and devotional service comes into effect when one identifies himself as the Supreme Lord’s servant. Material enjoyment is like darkness and devotional service like illumination. Material enjoyment is based on personal sense gratification, and devotional service on giving happiness to Kṛṣṇa. When we walk the path of material enjoyment, we face lamentation, illusion, and fear. Thus the Lord makes us understand the consequences of becoming attached to matter. It is intelligent to worship the Lord with utmost care. Material enjoyment is nothing but a path of misery, but devotional service is the means to happiness. ## 47. Are sin and offense the same? To transgress social etiquette is called sin. Deviation from and showing disrespect to Lord Viṣṇu and the Vaiṣṇavas is called an offense. Offenses are millions of times more serious than sins. Sins can be nullified by atonement, but not so with offenses. However, by chanting the most auspicious names of Śrī Gaura-Nityānanda, the deliverers of fallen souls, all offenses run away. ## 48. Are the family lives of devotees and conditioned souls the same? Conditioned souls are those who desire wealth, women, and fame. Materialists and nondevotees are synonymous. By accepting three types of enjoyment, materialists become averse to the Lord’s service. The Lord’s devotees never taste wealth, women, and fame as sense gratification. Rather, they engage them in the Lord’s service. If we change our material consciousness to spiritual consciousness—if instead of trying for our own happiness we try to please the Lord and His devotees—then we can become devotees and attain pure devotional service. We must give up attachment to material life. Devotees and conditioned souls do not have the same sense about family life. An akiñcana devotee may remain in any varṇa or āśrama yet remain aloof from the influence of his varṇa and āśrama, because he remains engaged in Hari’s service twenty-four hours a day. This is not true of the conditioned soul. ## 48. Is there respect for genuine devotees in this world? Pure items are rare. Because they are not easily attainable, there is less demand for them. People tend not to respect them. Pure devotees are rare. Therefore, there is no appreciation, demand, or respect for those who do not misguide people but are busy trying to attract them toward the Lord by introducing them to saṅkīrtana and hari-kathā. At present, it is fashionable to be cheated by those who, in the name of religion, misguide people. Real devotees do not speak to please their audiences. They don’t cheat people. Rather, pure devotees expose the defects of cheaters who love to compromise. Only those who are fortunate learn to be cautious after hearing the saints’ words. Although the words of real devotees may appear to contradict our present taste and experience, they are nevertheless most auspicious for us. Demand for pure things is less and demand for the impure is high. Wine is sold on every street corner, whereas cow milk is sold only in select places. Impurity is in abundance, but purity is rare. ## 49. What is the difference between weakness and cheating? Cheating and weakness are two separate things. Persons devoid of a cheating propensity achieve perfection in life, but a cheater is never successful. Vaiṣṇavism is another name for simplicity. Cheaters are nondevotees. Sincere persons can be weak, but they are not cheaters. Cheaters say something and do something else. Weak people are embarrassed by their defects, whereas cheaters are maddened by their achievements. “I will cheat the ācārya,”“I will deceive the doctor,”“I will nourish the poisonous snake of my sinful propensity with banana and milk, hiding him in the hole of my cheating propensity,” and, “I will demand name and fame from the people while posing as a saint”: these are not symptoms of weakness but of utter deceitfulness. Such cheaters will never achieve any good. By hearing humbly from saints with a sincere attitude, however, one will gradually attain auspiciousness. After accepting tridaṇḍi-sannyāsa, if one remains busy with worldly activities, thinking that family life is more important than spiritual life or maintaining the sinful mentality of kidnapping Sītā from Rāma as Rāvaṇa did even while dressed as a devotee, then one is a self-killer. We are far from the worship of Hari. Even if we have weakness and have enough anarthas to last us for millions of years, we are not as misfortunate as if we possessed a cheating propensity. It is better to take birth as animals or birds than to take shelter of cheating. ## 50. Who is learned? A devotee of the Lord whose intelligence is illuminated with Vedic knowledge is actually learned. The śāstra states, paṇḍito bandha-mokṣa-vit, mūrkho dehādy-ahaṁ-buddhiḥ: “A wise man is one who knows the process of freedom from bondage, and a fool is one who identifies with his material body and mind.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.19.41-42). One who considers the material body the self is certainly a fool, even though he may be certified educated. Mundane scholars are aware only of mundane sound vibration. Since they are conditioned by Maya and consider the body the self, they are unable to realize the scriptures’ actual purport. Because Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other Vedic literatures are nondifferent from the Supreme Lord, they are understood and realized only by devotion. Since the proud mundane scholars are devoid of devotional service to the Lord, they are intoxicated by false ego. Therefore how will such proud people understand the confidential purport of theśāstras headed by the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which are nondifferent from the Lord? Can an idol-maker see the Lord’s Deity form? If wealth, beauty, high birth, and learning are not attributed to proper candidates, they cause ruination. For nondevotees they are as good as death. They give anxiety, cause material existence, and enhance the false ego. For devotees, however, they are ornaments and do not produce anarthas. The meaning of the śāstra and the meaning of material sound vibration is not the same. The śāstras appear to contain mundane words, but they are full of transcendental sound vibration. They are the incarnation of the Supreme Lord. Therefore, the mahājanas said that transcendental subject matter is inconceivable The śāstras can be realized only by a devotee practicing devotional service and not by worldly academic learning. ## 51. Is it good to live a long life? It is good to live a long life if one worships Hari, but for those who do not worship Hari, it is better to die young than live long enough to do much nonsense. If human beings and demigods do not worship Hari, they disturb their respective societies. ## 52. Should people worship both Kṛṣṇa and the demigods? Kṛṣṇa, who is the worshipable Lord of the demigods, is also the worshipable Lord of the human beings. Humans should therefore worship Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of all, rather than worshiping the demigods. In this way, one automatically worships everyone. ## 53. Why does one fall down? As soon as we become proud, we find ourselves unable to follow the spiritual master’s orders. As a result, we are bound to fall down. Before a living entity falls down, however, he develops a feeling called faithlessness. If we keep our faith at the lotus feet of the spiritual master and Vaiṣṇavas intact, then our perfection is guaranteed; otherwise, we will be doomed and our desire for matter will simply increase. To challenge the Supreme Lord is a symptom of sinful mentality, pride, and the desire for material enjoyment. “The Lord is always seeing me”: this is the proper way to understand things. Therefore one should see the Lord through one’s ears. In order to attain the Lord’s mercy and to please Him, one should approach Him with humility and eagerness. To lose faith in material enjoyment and dry renunciation means to develop faith in the Supreme Lord. If we are faithful to the living entities in this world, it is a symptom that we want material enjoyment. “Let me enjoy this world to my heart’s content”: we develop this mentality because we lack spiritual initiation or transcendental knowledge. If we cannot consider who we are and what is our relationship with the Lord, then how is it possible to surrender or develop faith? Unless one develops faith, one can see neither a pure devotee nor the Supreme Lord but will simply indulge in envious, violent, or blasphemous activities. ## 54. How can we vanquish our previous material experiences? Whatever we have learned since childhood is mundane education. Such education simply taught us how to live in this world. When spiritual knowledge is established in the heart, we easily realize the insignificance of the above-mentioned education. “I am a servant of the Lord and not the object of service. To render service to the Lord is my only duty. I will not do anything other than serve the Lord”: when these pious mentalities capture my heart, all my sinful mentalities and whatever I have learned from my worldly father, mother, relatives, and teachers will be removed. As soon as I forget that Kṛṣṇa is the only enjoyer, I will fall into the ocean of material existence. The conditioned life of those inclined to the Lord’s service is exhausted, and the conditioned life of those averse to the Lord’s service is enhanced. Those who are attached to this world do not like to serve, hear about, or have time for the Lord. Even if they make a show of hearing about the Lord, they immediately reject the teachings if they are not to their liking. They give no importance to hari-kathā. They prefer to pay attention only to needs of the today. If we want to know God, we must approach God’s devotees. There is no other way to know Him. ## 55. Why aren’t we interested in God? How can anyone be interested in the Supreme Lord if he has no good fortune or piety? Does everyone like working in an office, doing business, or studying mathematics? Those who have a natural tendency for karma-yoga love to engage in karma-yoga, and those who have a natural tendency for bhakti-yoga love to engage in bhakti-yoga. Lacking faith in devotional service is a symptom of misfortune. The Supreme Lord is the ultimate object of worship and the transcendental Absolute Truth. He cannot be understood by the material senses. Rather, He reveals Himself to a service-inclined devotee. By following the ascending path no one can achieve His mercy. ## 56. Why can’t everyone understand the glories of devotional service? How will one understand the glories of devotional service unless he has extraordinary merit? With ordinary merit, one can understand the glories of material enjoyment and liberation. ## 57. What is direct, indirect, beyond direct and indirect, and transcendental perception? Direct perception refers to what is perceived with the senses. Indirect perception refers to placing faith in objects seen by others through their senses. Beyond direct and indirect perception refers to perception that is neither direct nor indirect and which is sometimes called tabula rasa, absolute, or Brahman. The impersonalist philosophy is the ultimate conclusion of this type of perception. But our concept of the absolute is completely different from that of these types of perceivers. Our absolute is Śyāmasundara, the son of Nanda who plays a flute. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has called this absolute adhokṣaja, transcendental. One has to transcend the platforms of direct, indirect, and beyond direct and indirect perception, and come to the platform of transcendental perception in order to engage in the service of the Personality of Godhead. Śyāmasundara is the supreme worshipable Lord. He is supremely independent and the highest authority. Adhokṣaja can take initiative. One cannot approach Adhokṣaja with a businessman’s mentality and it is impossible to cheat Him; He is the omniscient Supersoul. He does not come into the range of mundane vision. ## 58. What is devotional service and what is nondevotional service? Devotional service means sādhana-bhakti, bhāva-bhakti, and prema-bhakti. Nondevotional service means anyābhilāṣa, karma, jñāna, yoga, and the innumerable other ways to turn away from Hari created by the mixture of these items.