Audarya Fellowship - View Single Post - Puri priests up in arms against ISKCON The whole thing stinks of hypocrisy

bhaktajan · **Search for the Hidden Treasure -** 11-18-2008, 10:36 AM

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Since no one can trace the history of the living entity’s entanglement in material energy, the Lord says that it is beginningless. By beginningless it is meant that conditional life exists prior to the creation; it is simply manifested during and after the creation. <o:p></o:p>
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Due to forgetfulness of his nature, the living entity, although spirit, suffers all kinds of miseries in material existence. It should be understood that there are also living entities who are not entangled in this material energy but are situated in the spiritual world.<o:p></o:p>
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Concerning man’s search for the ultimate goal of life:<o:p></o:p>
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Caitanya Mahäprabhu relates a story [from the commentary of Madhva which occurs in the Fifth Canto of Çrémad-Bhägavatam] about the astrologer Sarvajïa and a poor man who came to him to have his future told. <o:p></o:p>
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When Sarvajïa saw the horoscope of the man, he was at once astonished that the man was so poor, and he said to him, “Why are you so unhappy? From your horoscope I can see that you have a hidden treasure left to you by your father. <o:p></o:p>
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However, the horoscope indicates that your father could not disclose this to you because he died in a foreign place, but now you can search out this treasure and be happy.” This story is cited because the living entity is suffering due to his ignorance of the hidden treasure of his Supreme Father, Kåñëa. <o:p></o:p>
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That treasure is love of Godhead, and in every Vedic scripture the conditioned soul is advised to find it. As stated in Bhagavad-gétä, although the conditioned soul is the son of the wealthiest personality—the Personality of Godhead—he does not realize it. Therefore Vedic literatures are given to him to help him search out his father and his paternal property.<o:p></o:p>
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The astrologer Sarvajïa further advised the poor man: “Don’t dig on the southern side of your house to find the treasure, for if you do so you will be attacked by a poisonous wasp and will be baffled. The search should be conducted on the eastern side where there is actual light, which is called devotional service or Kåñëa consciousness. <o:p></o:p>
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On the southern side there are Vedic rituals, and on the western side there is mental speculation, and on the northern side there is meditational yoga.”<o:p></o:p>
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Sarvajïa’s advice should be carefully noted by everyone. If one searches for the ultimate goal by the ritualistic process, he will surely be baffled. Such a process involves the performance of rituals under the guidance of a priest who takes money in exchange for service. <o:p></o:p>
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A man may think he will be happy by performing such rituals, but actually if he does gain some result from them, it is only temporary. His material distresses will continue. Thus he will never become truly happy by following the ritualistic process. <o:p></o:p>
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Instead, he will simply increase his material pangs more and more. The same may be said for digging on the northern side, or searching for the treasure by means of the meditational yoga process. By this process a person thinks of becoming one with the Supreme Lord, but this merging into the Supreme is like being swallowed by a large serpent. <o:p></o:p>
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Sometimes a large serpent swallows a smaller one, and merging into the spiritual existence of the Supreme is analogous. While the small serpent is searching after perfection, he is swallowed. Obviously there is no solution here. <o:p></o:p>
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On the western side there is also an impediment in the form of a yakña, an evil spirit who protects the treasure. The idea is that a hidden treasure can never be found by one who asks the favor of a yakña in order to attain it. The result is that one will simply be killed. This yakña is the speculative mind, and in this case the speculative process of self-realization, or the jïäna process, is also suicidal.<o:p></o:p>
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The only possibility then is to search for the hidden treasure on the eastern side by the process of devotional service in full Kåñëa consciousness. <o:p></o:p>
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Indeed, that process of devotional service is the perpetual hidden treasure, and when one attains to it, he becomes perpetually rich. One who is poor in devotional service to Kåñëa is always in need of material gain. <o:p></o:p>
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Sometimes he suffers the bites of poisonous creatures, and sometimes he is baffled; sometimes he follows the philosophy of monism and thereby loses his identity, and sometimes he is swallowed by a large serpent. It is only by abandoning all this and becoming fixed in Kåñëa consciousness, devotional service to the Lord, that one can actually achieve the perfection of life.<o:p></o:p>
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CC Adi 7.20-21:<o:p></o:p>
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"The characteristics of Kåñëa are understood to be a storehouse of transcendental love. Although that storehouse of love certainly came with Kåñëa when He was present, it was sealed. But when Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu came with His associates of the Païca-tattva, they broke the seal and plundered the storehouse to taste transcendental love of Kåñëa. The more they tasted it, the more their thirst for it grew."<o:p></o:p>
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CC Adi 7.24:<o:p></o:p>
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"Although the members of the Païca-tattva plundered the storehouse of love of Godhead and ate and distributed its contents, there was no scarcity, for this wonderful storehouse is so complete that as the love is distributed, the supply increases hundreds of times."<o:p></o:p>
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PURPORT<o:p></o:p>

A pseudo incarnation of Kåñëa once told his disciple that he had emptied himself by giving him all knowledge and was thus spiritually bankrupt. Such bluffers speak in this way to cheat the public, but actual spiritual consciousness is so perfect that the more it is distributed, the more it increases. Bankruptcy is a term that applies in the material world, but the storehouse of love of Godhead in the spiritual world can never be depleted. Kåñëa is providing for millions and trillions of living entities by supplying all their necessities, and even if all the innumerable living entities wanted to become Kåñëa conscious, there would be no scarcity of love of Godhead, nor would there be insufficiency in providing for their maintenance. Our Kåñëa consciousness movement was started single-handedly, and no one provided for our livelihood, but at present we are spending hundreds and thousands of dollars all over the world, and the movement is increasing more and more. Thus there is no question of scarcity. Although jealous persons may be envious, if we stick to our principles and follow in the footsteps of the Païca-tattva, this movement will go on unchecked by imitation svämés, sannyäsés, religionists, philosophers or scientists, for it is transcendental to all material considerations. Therefore those who propagate the Kåñëa consciousness movement should not be afraid of such rascals and fools.<o:p></o:p>