54 Teachings of Lord Chaitanya

gradually he becomes free from material entanglement. For example, because
there is no question of darkness where there is light, Krishna Consciousness
is like the light that dispels the darkness of material sense enjoyment.

A Krishna conscious person is never under the false conception that he is
One with God. He does not think that he would be happy by working for
himself. He engages all his energy in the service of the Supreme Lord, and
thereby becomes released from the clutches of illusory material energy. In
this connection the Lord quotes a verse from the Bhagavad Gita, Seventh
Chapter, to the effect that the material energy containing the three modes
of material Nature is very strong. It is very difficult to escape the process of
material energy, but one who surrenders unto Krishna easily becomes free
from the clutches of Maya.

The Lord went on to teach that the conditioned soul, for each and every
moment in which he is engaged in some fruitive activity, is forgetting his
real identity. Sometimes when he is fatigued, when he is tired of material
activities, he wants liberation and wants to become one with the Supreme,
but at other times he thinks that by working hard for his sense gratification
he will be happy. In both cases he is covered by material energy. For the
enlightenment of such bewildered conditioned souls, who are working under
false identification, the Lord has presented us with so much Vedic literature,
such as the Vedas, the Puranas, and the Vedanta Sutra—all intended to guide
the human being back to Godhead. The Lord has presented further instruc-
tions, advising that when a conditioned soul is accepted by the mercy of the
spiritual master, and when he is guided by the Supersoul, he takes advantage
of the various Vedic Scriptures, becomes enlightened, and makes progress
in his spiritual realization. It is understood that Lord Krishna is always mer-
ciful to His devotees, and therefore He has presented all this Vedic literature,
by which one can understand his relationship with Krishna, and can act in
that relationship—with the result that he is gifted with the ultimate goal of
life.

Actually every living entity is destined to reach the Supreme Lord, and
everyone can understand his relationship with the Supreme Lord. The execu-
tion of duties to attain perfection is known as devotional service, and in matu-
rity such devotional service becomes Love of God, the factual goal of life
for every living being. The living entity is not intended to achieve success
in religious perfection or economic development or sense enjoyment. Reli-
giousness, economic development, sense enjoyment, and liberation should
not actually be desired by the living entity. The real desire of the entity should
be to achieve the stage of loving transcendental service to the Lord.
