26 THE PATH OF PERFECTION | Learning How to See God 27

Book knowledge without realization of the Supreme Truth is
useless. This is stated as follows:

jitatmanah prasantasya
paramatma sam@hitah
Sitosna-sukha-duhkhesu
tatha manapamanayoh atah sri-krsna-namadi
na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau

svayam eva sphuraty adah

‘‘For one who has conquered the mind, the Supersoul is already
reached, for he has attained tranquillity. To such a man happiness
and distress, heat and cold, honor and dishonor are all the same.”’
(Bg. 6.7)

Actually, every living entity is intended to abide by the dicta-
tion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is seated in
everyone’s heart as Paramatma. When the mind is misled by the
external illusory energy, one becomes entangled in material ac-
tivities. Therefore, as soon as one’s mind is controlled through
one of the yoga systems, one is to be considered as having already
reached the destination. One has to abide by superior dictation.
When the mind is fixed on the superior nature, he has no al-
ternative but to follow the dictation of the Supreme. The mind
must admit some superior dictation and follow it. When the mind
is controlled, one automatically follows the dictation of the
Paramatma, or Supersoul. Because this transcendental position is
at once achieved by one who is in Krsna consciousness, the devo-
tee of the Lord is unaffected by the dualities of material exis-
tence—distress and happiness, cold and heat, etc. This state is
called samadhi, or absorption in the Supreme.

**No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name,
form, quality, and pastimes of Sri Krsna through his materially
contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually satu-
rated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental
name, form, quality, and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him.”’
(Padma Purana)

There are men in the modes of goodness, passion, and ig-
norance, and to reclaim all these conditioned souls, there are eigh-
teen Puranas. Six Puranas are meant for those in the mode of
goodness, six for those in the mode of passion, and six for those in
the mode of ignorance. The Padma Purana is written for those in
the mode of goodness. Because there are many different types of
men, there are many different Vedic rituals. In the Vedic
literatures there are descriptions of rituals and ceremonies in
which a goat may be sacrificed in the presence of the goddess Kali.
This is described in the Markandeya Purana, but this Purana is-
meant for the instruction of those in the mode of ignorance.

It is very difficult for one to give up his attachments all at once.

Jjiiana-vijfiana-trptatma If one is addicted to meat-eating and is suddenly told that he must

kuta-stho vijitendriyah = not eat meat, he cannot do so. If one is attached to drinking liquor

yukta ity ucyate yogi and is suddenly told that liquor is no good, he cannot accept this
sama-lostrasma-kaficanah advice. Therefore, in the Purdnas we find certain instructions that

say in essence, ‘‘All right, if you want to eat meat, just worship the

‘*A person is said to be established in self-realization and is called goddess Kali and sacrifice a goat for her. Only then can you eat
a yogi [or mystic] when he is fully satisfied by virtue of acquired meat. You cannot eat meat just by purchasing it from the butcher

knowledge and realization. Such a person is situated in transcen-
dence and is self-controlled. He sees everything—whether it be
pebbles, stones, or gold—as the same.”” (Bg. 6.8)

shop. No, there must be sacrifice or restriction.”’ In order to
sacrifice a goat to the goddess Kali, one must make arrangements
for a certain date and utilize certain paraphernalia. That type of

