Return Home Back to Godhead - an essential subject

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Our tradition is rich with exemplary souls guiding people by their responses to extraordinary circumstances. In the sixth canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Mahārāja Citraketu accepts Mother Pārvatī's curse, considering it the mercy of the Lord. As Mahārāja Citraketu had inadvertently offended Pārvatī devi by his comments on Her and Lord Śiva's exalted and very unique behavior, Pārvatī Mataji cursed King Citraketu to be reborn as a demon. Śrīla Prabhupāda comments in his purport that a devotee is always eager to return home, back to Godhead, and remain there as the Lord's associate. As they progress in spiritual life, the devotees' ambition becomes increasingly fervent in their hearts, and therefore they do not care about material changes in their lives. Even an event as extreme as a curse is seen as a benediction and a gift from God to help the devotee prepare to return home - Back to Godhead.

Srila Prabhupada's books, lectures, conversations and letters offer a comprehensive presentation of this essential subject as seen in the Vaniquotes Return Home Back to Godhead category. An introduction from his books is given below in the following 12 quotes.

Quotes from Srila Prabhupada's books


vanipedia.org 		Association is very meaningful; therefore ISKCON tries to perfect one who enters the society. The members of this society should always remember that the society is not like a free hotel. All the members should be very careful to execute their spiritual duties so that whoever comes will automatically become a devotee and will be able to return back to Godhead in this very life. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.8.30)



vanipedia.org 		Whereas materialists are absorbed in material thoughts and activities, devotees, on the contrary, are always absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's activities. Therefore they are already on the platform of liberation. One has to think of Kṛṣṇa with full absorption at the time of death. Then he will certainly return home, back to Godhead, without a doubt. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.19.13)



vanipedia.org 		In Bhagavad-gītā (4.9) the Lord says, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti: after giving up the material body, the devotee of the Lord returns home, back to Godhead. This means that the devotee is first transferred to the particular universe where the Lord is at that time staying to exhibit His pastimes. There are innumerable universes, and the Lord is appearing in one of these universes at every moment. Therefore His pastimes are called nitya-līlā, eternal pastimes. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.1.23)



vanipedia.org 		By the grace of God, we have complete freedom. Because the Lord is kind to us, we can live anywhere—either in the spiritual sky or in the material sky, upon whichever planet we desire. However, misuse of this freedom causes one to fall down into the material world and suffer the threefold miseries of conditioned life. The living of a miserable life in the material world by dint of the soul's choice is nicely illustrated by Milton in Paradise Lost. Similarly, by choice the soul can regain paradise and return home, back to Godhead. (Easy Journey to Other Planets, Chapter 1)



vanipedia.org 		The varṇāśrama-dharma is meant for imperfect, conditioned souls. It trains them to become spiritually advanced in order to return home, back to Godhead. A civilization that does not know the highest aim of life is no better than an animal society. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.4.14)



vanipedia.org 		The nitya-baddhas can become liberated by controlling the mind because the cause of conditioned life is the mind. When the mind is trained and the soul is not under the mind's control, the soul can be liberated even in this material world. When it is liberated, one is called jīvan-mukta. A jīvan-mukta knows how he has become conditioned; therefore he tries to purify himself and return home, back to Godhead. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.11.12)



vanipedia.org 		The real purpose of human life is to attain the spiritual platform and return to Godhead. That is the summum bonum of spiritual realization. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to elevate human society to the perfection of life by pursuing the method described by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His advice to the brāhmaṇa Kūrma. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 7.128)



vanipedia.org 		One cannot enjoy material illusory prosperity if he desires to return home, back to Godhead. One who has no information of the transcendental bliss in the association of the Lord foolishly desires to enjoy this temporary material happiness. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that if someone sincerely wants to see the Lord and at the same time wants to enjoy this material world, he is considered to be a fool only. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.9.23)



vanipedia.org 		This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to bring intelligent human beings to the platform of devotional service. Instead of wasting time trying to attain a better position in material life, one should simply endeavor to return home, back to Godhead. Then all problems will be solved. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.14.31)



vanipedia.org 		Those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or who are practicing bhakti-yoga (śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23)), can return to Godhead without even practicing the muktāsana process. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.23.14)



vanipedia.org 		As soon as a devotee wants the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be his order supplier, the Lord immediately refuses to become the master of such a motivated devotee. In Bhagavad-gītā (4.11) the Lord says, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham. "As one surrenders unto Me, I reward him accordingly." Materialistic persons are generally inclined to material profits. As long as one continues in such an adulterated position, he does not receive the benefit of returning home, back to Godhead. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.10.6)



vanipedia.org 		The Vedic wisdom guides us to understanding our relation with the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and to acting accordingly in order to achieve the desired result of returning home, back to Godhead. But materialistic men do not understand this. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.2.27)


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Vanipedia has now over 903 introductory articles compiled from Srila Prabhupada's books under the series titled Essential Subjects. All these articles can be seen in the Table of Content on the right side of this article and also here in this Umbrella Category. Browse through them to relish the breadth and depth of Srila Prabhupada's teachings - There is a subject for everyone.


   
 

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