Awareness - an essential subject

The false ego created by material contact is then gradually vanquished, and this dismantling of false egoism causes liberation from all material designations and renewed awareness of our relationship with the Absolute Truth. This is called liberation in life. Srīmad-Bhāgavatam begins with the surrender of the living entity unto the Absolute Person. This surrender is made with full awareness of the devotee's oneness with the Absolute Person and, at the same time, his eternal position of servitorship toward Him. In the material conception one falsely thinks himself the Lord of all he surveys; consequently he is always troubled by the threefold miseries of life. But as soon as one comes to know his real position in transcendental service, he at once becomes freed from all the above-mentioned threefold miseries. The position of servitor is wasted in the material conception of life. In an attempt to dominate material nature, the living entity is forced to offer his service to the relative material energy.

Srila Prabhupada's books, lectures, conversations and letters offer a comprehensive presentation of this essential subject as seen in the Vaniquotes Awareness category. An introduction from his teachings is given below in the following 8 quotes.

Quotes from Srila Prabhupada's teachings


vanipedia.org 		According to His method, if people are simply given a chance to hear about Kṛṣṇa, certainly they will gradually develop their dormant awareness, or love of Godhead. Śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya (CC Madhya 22.107). Love of God is dormant in everyone, and if one is given a chance to hear about the Lord, certainly that love develops. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement acts on this principle. We simply give people the chance to hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and give them prasādam to eat, and the actual result is that all over the world people are responding to this process and becoming pure devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā 7.141)



vanipedia.org 		This vast form is considered the external body of the Lord, created by His energy and qualities. It is generally called the virāṭ-rūpa. If one reads the description of this external form of the Lord with great faith, or if one hears about it or explains it to others to propagate bhāgavata-dharma, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his faith and devotion in spiritual consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, will gradually increase. Although developing this consciousness is very difficult, by this process one can purify himself and gradually come to an awareness of the Supreme Absolute Truth. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.26.38)



vanipedia.org 		The first charge is that you should not become a guru unless you are completely in awareness how to save your dependent from the path of birth and death. That is the first question. Not that "I am your guru. I can cure some colic pain in your belly." They go to guru also for that purpose. People generally go to guru, rascals go to guru, to another rascal. What is that? "Sir, I have got some pain. Give me some ashirvad so that my pain may be cured." "But why you have come here, rascal, here for curing your pain? In the village you can go to some doctor, or you can take some tablet. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Lecture, 6 November 1976, Vrndavana)



vanipedia.org 		An exalted and pure devotee like Mahārāja Ambarīṣa is in full awareness of Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān; in other words, a devotee of Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is in full knowledge of the other features of the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is realized in three features—Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān (brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11)). A devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, knows everything (vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19)) because Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, includes both Paramātmā and Brahman. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.5.22)



vanipedia.org 		Iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ. Bhajante mām. This thing can be understood by the budhā. Budhā means one who is very intelligent, one who is in awareness of everything. He is called budhā. Bhāva-samanvitāḥ: "Oh, it is coming from Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Then they become more and more a devotee. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-lila Lecture, 19 July 1976, New York)



vanipedia.org 		In the association of such a sādhu as Jaḍa Bharata, Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa came to the awareness that his activities as a royal authority were simply illusory phenomena. He therefore agreed to receive knowledge from Jaḍa Bharata, and that was the beginning of his perfection. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). A person like Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa, who was very inquisitive to know the value of life and the spiritual science, must approach a personality like Jaḍa Bharata. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.10.20)



vanipedia.org 		And as far as jñāna is concerned, if one is a perfect devotee of Vāsudeva, he is the greatest mahātmā (vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ). A mahātmā is one who has full knowledge of the Absolute Truth. Thus Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, being a devotee of the Personality of Godhead, was in full awareness of Paramātmā, Brahman, māyā, the material world, the spiritual world, and how things are going on everywhere. Everything was known to him. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3). Because the devotee knows Vāsudeva, he knows everything within the creation of Vāsudeva (vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ). (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.5.25)



vanipedia.org 		Only to the devotees, however, does the Lord give instructions by which to advance further and further in devotional service. To others, the nondevotees, the Lord gives instructions according to the manner of their surrender. The pure devotee is described by the words bhaktyā kevalayā. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains that bhaktyā kevalayā means jñāna-karmādy-amiśrayā, "unmixed with fruitive activities or speculative knowledge." Simply surrendering at the lotus feet is the cause of all a devotee's enlightenment and awareness. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.13.22)


Awareness - explore more within this category.

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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