146 THE PATH OF PERFECTION The Path of Perfection 147
as a hungry man eats, he feels immediate satisfaction and says, purusah sa parah partha ;
“No, I don’t want any more. I am satisfied.”’ This satisfaction is a bhaktyd labhyas tv ananyayd
| characteristic of the Krsna conscious man. yasyantah-sthani bhutani
* yena sarvam idam tatam
brahma-bhitah prasannatma
na socati na Lanksat ‘‘The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is greater than all, is
samah sarvesu bhutesu . attained by unalloyed devotion. Although He is present in His
mad-bhaktimn labhate param abode, He is all-pervading, and everything is situated within
Him.’ (Bg. 8.22) The words purusah sa parah indicate the su-
“One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the preme person who is greater than all others. This is not a void
Supreme Brahman. He never laments nor desires to have any- speaking, but a person who has all the characteristics of personal-
thing; he is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he ity in full. Just as we are talking face to face, when we reach the
attains pure devotional service unto Me.” (Bg. 18.54) supreme abode we can talk to God face to face. We can play with
As soon as one is spiritually realized, he feels full satisfaction Him, eat with Him, and everything else. This state is not acquired
and no longer hankers after flickering material enjoyment. As by mental oho uon but by transcendental loving service (bhak-
i cond Chapter of Bhagavad-gita (2.59), tya labhyah). The words tv ananyaya indicate that this bhakti must
stated in the Se P be without adulteration. It must be unalloyed.
* visayd vinivartante Although the Supreme Personality is a person and is present in
“nirah Grasya dehinah ; His abode in the spiritual sky, He is so widespread that everything
rasa-varjam raso ‘py asya is within Him. He is both inside and outside. Although God is
param drstva nivartate everywhere, He still has His kingdom, His abode. The sun may
~ pervade the universe with its sunshine, yet the sun itself is a
“The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, separate entity. ;
though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such In His supreme abode, the Supreme Lord has no rival.
engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in con- Wherever we may be, we find a predominating personality. In the
sciousness.” A doctor may tell a diseased man, ‘‘Don’t eat this. United States, the predominating personality is the President.
Don’t eat that. Don’t have sex. Don’t. Don’t.” In this way, a dis- However, when the next election cores, the President will have
eased man is forced to accept so many ‘‘don’ts,”’ but inside he is so many rivals, but in the spiritual sky the Supreme Lord has no
thinking, ‘Oh, if I can just get these things, I’ll be happy.” The rival. Those who want to become rivals are placed in this material
desires remain inside. However, when one is established in Krsna world, under the conditions of material nature. In the spiritual sky
consciousness, he is so strong inside that he doesn’t experience there is no rivalry, and all the inhabitants therein are liberated
the desire. Although he’s not impotent, he doesn’t want sex. He souls. From Srimad-Bhdgavatam we receive information that their
can marry thrice, but still be detached. Param drstva nivartate. bodily features resemble gods. In some of the spiritual planets,
When something superior is acquired, one naturally gives up all God manifests a two-armed form, and in others He manifests a
inferior things. That which is superior is the Supreme Personality | four-armed form. The living entities of those planets pave COITEs
of Godhead, and atheism and impersonalism cannot give us this. sponding features, and one cannot distinguish who is God and
He is attained only by unalloyed devotion | who is not. This is called sdrupya-mukti liberation, wherein one
, |
if
. f
