266 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

This conception of the material world is very nicely explained by
Srila Rupa Gosvami, who said that renunciation of this material world as
illusory or false without knowledge that the material world is also the
manifestation of the Supreme Lord is of no practical value. The Vaisnavas,
however, are free of attachment to this world because generally the material
world is accepted as an object of sense gratification. The Vaisnavas are not
in favor of sense gratification; therefore, they are not attached to material
activities. The Vaisnava accepts this material world according to the
regulative principles of the Vedic injunctions. Since the Supreme Person-
ality of Godhead is the original cause of everything, the Vaisnava sees
everything in relationship with Krsna, even in this material world. By such
advanced knowledge, everything becomes spiritualized. In other words,
everything in the material world is already spiritual, but due to our lack
of knowledge we see things as material.

The personified Vedas presented the example that those who are seek-
ing after gold do not reject gold earrings, gold bangles or anything else
made of gold simply because they are shaped differently from the original
gold. All living entities are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord and are
qualitatively one, but they are now differently shaped in 8,400,000 species
of life, just like many different ornaments which have been manufactured
from the same source of gold. As one who is interested in gold accepts all
the differently shaped gold ornaments, so a Vaisnava, knowing well that
all living entities are of the same quality as the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, accepts all living entities as eternal servants of God. As a
Vaisnava, then, one has ample opportunity to serve the Supreme Person-
ality of Godhead simply by reclaiming these conditioned, misled living
entities, training them in Krsna consciousness and leading them back to
home, back to Godhead. The fact is that the minds of the living entities
are now agitated by the three material qualities, and the living entities are
therefore transmigrating, as if in dreams, from one body to another. When
their consciousness is changed into Krsna consciousness, however, they
immediately fix Krsna within their hearts, and thus their path for liberation
becomes clear.

In all the Vedas the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living
entities are stated to be of the same quality—caitanya, or spiritual. This
is also confirmed in the Padma Purana, wherein it is said that there are
two kinds of spiritual entities; one is called the jiva, and the other is called
the Supreme Lord. Beginning from Lord Brahma down to the ant, all
living entities are jivas, whereas the Lord is the Supreme four-handed Visnu
or Janaradana. The worl atma can be applied only to the Supreme Person-
