250 Teachings of Lord Chaitanya

engagement. Without positive engagement the highest perfectional stage
cannot be attained. Generally, in the renounced order of life, there are two
kinds of philosophers: the goal of one is Nirvana, and of the other, the imper-
sonal quality of the Brahman effulgence. They cannot conceive that they can
reach beyond, or that there is a Spiritual Sky with Vaikuntha Planets. Because
such mentalities cannot have any conception of the Spiritual Planets and
activities, therefore Lord Chaitanya rejected the proposal of renunciation.

Ramananda Roy then gave evidence from Bhagavad Gita, Eighteenth
Chapter, 54th verse, wherein the Lord says as follows: “When a person realizes
himself as not different from the Supreme Absolute Truth by cultivation of
knowledge, he becomes joyful and freed from all kinds of lamentation and
material desires. At that time he perfects his Brahman realization by looking
at everyone on the same spiritual level. This stage of Brahman realization can
elevate one to the transcendental stage of devotional service.” The purport
is that Ramananda Roy first suggested devotional service with renunciation
of fruitive results from one’s work; but better than that stage of life is devo-
tional service with full knowledge and spiritual realization.

Lord Chaitanya again rejected this proposal because in that stage of simply
renouncing material results in Brahman realization there is no realization of
the Spiritual World and the spiritual activities. Although in the Brahman
realization stage there is no material contamination, yet, because there is no
positive engagement in spiritual activity, it is not perfectly cleansed. It is
still on the mental plane, and therefore external. The pure living entity is not
liberated unless he has the complete spiritual idea and is engaged in spiritual
activity. When one is absorbed in impersonal thought, or void thought, then his
entrance into eternal life, blissful life, and life of knowledge is not complete.
When spiritual knowledge is not complete, people will hinder you in your
attempt to vacate the mind of all material variegatedness. Impersonalists
are hindered in such attempts to make the mind void by artificial meditation.
It is very difficult to make the mind void of material conceptions. In the Bhagavad
Gita it is stated that those who indulge in such voidness or impersonal medita-
tion make very difficult spiritual advancement, and what they attain is
not complete liberation. Therefore Lord Chaitanya rejected it.

After rejection of this fifth proposal, Ramananda Roy said that devotional
service without any attempt at cultivation of knowledge or mental specula-
tion is the highest stage of perfection. In this connection he gave evidence
from Srimad Bhagwatam, Tenth Canto, Fourteenth Chapter, in which Lord
Brahma says to the Supreme Personality of Godhead: “My dear Lord, one
