# Liberation *On mukti - freedom from the cycle of birth and death, and going back to Godhead* --- ### What Is Liberation? > The definition of mukti, or liberation, or becoming free from the designation, is given in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. Mukti means when we give up the service in designation and we are situated in our original constitutional position. That is called mukti, liberation, or salvation, whatever you like. What is my own constitutional position? I am eternal servant of God, Kṛṣṇa. This is my position. So when we give up all these designation service and engage myself in the real service of the real master, that is called mukti, liberation. — [[spoken/1975/750521sb.mel|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.1, Melbourne, 1975]] --- ### Back to Home, Back to Godhead > This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means that back to home, back to Godhead, not to make proceed or progress towards birth, death, old age and disease, but make progress towards no birth, no death, no old age, no disease. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is called nivṛtti-mārga. Nivṛtti-mārga. Nivṛtti means stop this type of progress. — [[spoken/1975/750521sb.mel|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.1, Melbourne, 1975]] --- ### When the Subtle Body Is Finished > So long you are encircled by the subtle body, there is no question of liberation, because the subtle body will take you to another gross body. When we are free from the subtle body, then we are liberated. We go back to home, back to Godhead. — [[spoken/1975/750521sb.mel|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.1, Melbourne, 1975]] --- ### The More You Are Enlightened > Liberation means the more you are enlightened the value of life, the more, then you become liberated. The more you become liberated, the more you are advanced in your spiritual knowledge, sata, sat, sat-saṅga. — [[spoken/1973/730822bg.lon|Bhagavad-gītā 2.16, London, 1973]] --- ### Association with Devotees > There is indication in the śāstra that how to make progress towards the goal of nivṛtti-mārga. That is stated, mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ. If you associate with devotees, mahat, mahātmā, great soul... Who is great soul? Great soul means who has understood God. He is great soul. He is called mahātmā. — [[spoken/1975/750521sb.mel|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.1, Melbourne, 1975]] --- ### The Mission of Human Life > Don't be entangled. Try to become liberated from the entanglement. That is the mission of life. These things cannot be understood so long we are in the darkness. Darkness means sinful life. The more we are engaged in sinful life, we cannot understand what is sat-saṅga and what is asat-saṅga. So we should be purified. The whole human life is meant for purification. — [[spoken/1973/730822bg.lon|Bhagavad-gītā 2.16, London, 1973]] --- ### Freedom from Designation > Bhakti means nivṛtti-mārga, to become free from all these designations. That is called bhakti. I am spirit soul, but because I have accidentally, or my result action, resultant action of my past karma, I am thinking, "I am Indian," somebody is thinking "I am American." So this is the designation of the soul. I am neither Indian, nor somebody is American, somebody is Australian. We are living soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That is my position. But being designated in a different way, I have become a servant of that designation. — [[spoken/1975/750521sb.mel|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.1, Melbourne, 1975]] --- ### The Stages of Spiritual Life > The process is generally ādau śraddhā. In the beginning, you come with some faith. Then you associate with the devotees. Then bhajana-kriyā, devotional service. Then anartha-nivṛttiḥ, all the nonsense things finish. Then niṣṭhā, firm faith. Then ruci, taste. Then āsakti, attachment. Then bhāva, ecstasy. Then you come to the platform of loving God. Now we are loving cats and dogs. We shall love God. This is the way. — [[spoken/1975/750521sb.mel|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.1, Melbourne, 1975]] --- ### Even in This Life > So if you keep yourself always in the fire of Kṛṣṇa, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you are transferred to the spiritual world. Very nice example, this iron rod, red hot. You cannot use it for any other purpose. It is simply for burning. Similarly, you can become Kṛṣṇa-ized. If you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, spiritualized, the material activities will have no effect. It is dissolved. — [[spoken/1974/741214sb.bom|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.26.2, Bombay, 1974]] --- ### Why Not Take the Elevator? > That is a good suggestion, but you rot for the time being. Suppose you are going somewhere, walking, and somebody gives you opportunity, "Come in my car," why don't you take advantage of it? You are... You will reach the destination by walking in six thousand years, but if you get the opportunity... In your country there is good..., there is staircase and there is elevator. So if you want to go, that "I shall go by the staircase and reach the upstair at the end of the day when office will be finished," then you can do that. But if you are intelligent, you shall take the advantage of the elevator; within a minute you go there. — [[spoken/1975/750521sb.mel|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.1, Melbourne, 1975]] --- *10 quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on liberation and going back to Godhead* [[wiki/quotes|Back to Quotes]]