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Time Factor In Spiritual Existence

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suchandra

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As soon we come to the spiritual plane, "only present", but: "That we cannot realize now."

 

"Kāla is exhibited in three features: past, present, and future. That is in the material existence. And if one becomes above the three kālas, in the eternal time… Time is eternal, but in the material existence there is past, present, and future. In the spiritual existence there is no past, no future, only present. Only present. Everything are fresh, present, nitya-navayamāna, only feelings, new, new. That is spiritual existence, ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam, only present—no future, no past. That we cannot realize now, but we can get the knowledge from Vedic literature. The time factor… In the material world there is past, present, and future. Otherwise, time factor is eternal.So prabhāvaṁ pauruṣaṁ prāhuḥ kālam. So we have to feel the influence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in this time factor. We cannot deny it. Because in due course of time, according to the time factor, everything will be finished. Everything will be finished. The present existence will be finished, and then we will have to accept another existence. This is all due to the time. Time is over; then one body is changed into another. So this is the influence of time. Nature is working under the influence of time, and that time factor is enforcing the influence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore it is called prabhāvaṁ pauruṣaṁ prāhuḥ kālam. This is the influence. You have to abide by the influence of time. That means influence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However you deny… Just like crazy fellow. They think that “I have nothing to do with government laws.” But the influence of government must be felt when he is arrested and put into the jail. Similarly, by time factor we may do something now without any fear, but time factor will place me in the fearful condition without any fail.

So ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhasya. We are now vimūḍha. Now when you say that “These mūḍhas,” they become angry. But actually, this is the verdict of the śāstra. So long you are within the time factor, within the material nature, you are vimūḍha. We are all vimūḍha. Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhasya. And the same thing is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate [Bg. 3.27]. Nobody is kartā. Here the prakṛti is kartā. Just like when you are under the influence of some contaminated disease, at that time, that disease infection is kartā. You are not kartā. That is our practical experience. When you are in high fever, then your so- called mastership is gone. You are under the mastership of the feverish condition. Similarly, we spirit soul, although we are better in quality than the material element… That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām, jīva- bhūtām: “The jīva, living entities, they are better quality than the material elements.” But still, on account of his viparyayo ’smṛtiḥ, forgetting God—we are leading a different type of civilization or different type of life—therefore we have been subjected to the influence of time. This is Kṛṣṇa’s, or God’s, influence.

Just like in the prison life we are subjected to the rules and regulation of the prison house on account of disobeying the government laws, similarly, when we are disobedient to the laws of God, at that time, we are put into this material existence under the influence of time, and therefore our conditional life is always fearful. Bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syād īśād apetasya viparyayo ’smṛtiḥ. Everyone is thinking differently, all living entities. Somebody is thinking, “I am Indian.” Somebody is thinking, “I am American,” “Hindu,” “Muslim,” “Christian,” “black,” “white.” So many ways we are thinking. Viparyayo ’smṛtiḥ. Our real identity is when we understand that “I am not Hindu, not Muslim, not Christian, nor American, nor Indian, but I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa.” Then there is no more fear. That is fear… Bhajahuṅ re mana, śrī-nanda-nandana-abhaya- caraṇāra..."

 

 

 

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.26.16

by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Bombay, December 25, 1974

 

 

 

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Actually we ALL still in Vaikuntha but are 'consciously' caught up within the past, present and future of the material creation (mahat-tattva) that has covered our awareness to the 'eternal present' of Vaikuntha and Goloka, like a cloud covers the view of the Sun"

Srila Prabhupada - "You are already in the spiritual sky, but you are simply covered. Just like the sun is already there. You are also already there…So actually we are always in the spiritual world. But when you forget Krishna by the cloud of illusion that is material. Try to understand”. In a Srimad-Bhagavatam lecture given in London, on July 30, 1971

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Yes, but Srila Prabhupada also stresses that presently we are caught in past present and future. That we can't deny.

 

 

"The time factor… In the material world there is past, present, and future. Otherwise, time factor is eternal.So prabhāvaṁ pauruṣaṁ prāhuḥ kālam. So we have to feel the influence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in this time factor. We cannot deny it. Because in due course of time, according to the time factor, everything will be finished. Everything will be finished. The present existence will be finished, and then we will have to accept another existence. This is all due to the time. Time is over; then one body is changed into another. So this is the influence of time. Nature is working under the influence of time, and that time factor is enforcing the influence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore it is called prabhāvaṁ pauruṣaṁ prāhuḥ kālam. This is the influence. You have to abide by the influence of time. That means influence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However you deny… Just like crazy fellow. They think that “I have nothing to do with government laws.” But the influence of government must be felt when he is arrested and put into the jail. Similarly, by time factor we may do something now without any fear, but time factor will place me in the fearful condition without any fail."

 

We are experiencing Krsna, the same time factor as the eternal present, in terms of past present future. It is not enough to just say there is only the eternal present and pretend we are free from time while we continue to revolve in birth and death. A prisioner behind bars for twenty years may shut his eyes and pretend he his release date has already arrived but the fact is he is still behind bars.

 

The material experience of time as past present future is an illusion but it is also very real.

 

It really is like walking on a tightrope trying to keep our consciousness properly balanced.

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Very interesting points you have made theist. If our 'awareness' is only within the past, present and future of the material world, then we are IN the material world even if our eternal 'svarupa' is in Vaikuntha.

 

In fact, while in the material world, the 'awareness of our eternal relationship with Krishna does not exist, just like it 'appears' the sun does not exist, due to the cloud cover, or by the presents of night.

Our position in the material world way shoddier than that analogy because we understand that the sun exists behind the cloud cover or when it is nighttime, but the conditioned soul does not understand, know, see, or is aware of their eternal relationship with Krishna.

Therefore our attendance in the material world is very real. And to each of us, IT IS NOT a dream state, we do NOT experience the material world as a dream state while we are here, it is real, as real as being in Vaikuntha, however we experience everything as temporary.

One minute we can be on top of the world with wealth, fame, adoration and family, the very next, we have left this body and moved on to another like Heath Ledger did yesterday.

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Srila Prabhupada - "Kāla is exhibited in three features: past, present, and future. That is in the material existence. And if one becomes above the three kālas, in the eternal time… Time is eternal, but in the material existence there is past, present, and future.

 

In the spiritual existence there is no past, no future, only present. Only present. Everything are fresh, present, nitya-navayamāna, only feelings, new, new. That is spiritual existence, ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam, only present—no future, no past.

 

That we cannot realize now, but we can get the knowledge from Vedic literature.

 

The time factor… In the material world there is past, present, and future. Otherwise, time factor is eternal". Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.26.16 by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Bombay, December 25, 1974

 

Srila Prabhupada - "As soon we come to the spiritual plane, "only present", but: "That we cannot realize now."

 

Thanks for this very important quote suchandra:pray:

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