Searching after God - an essential subject

To search the audience of God in a lonely forest is considered to be in the mode of goodness. One can go out into the forest to attain spiritual perfection, but that does not mean that one can see the Lord personally there. One must be completely freed from all material attachment and be situated on the plane of transcendence, which alone will help the devotee get in personal touch with the Personality of Godhead. The best method is that one should live at a place where the transcendental form of the Lord is worshiped. The temple of the Lord is a transcendental place, whereas the forest is a materially good habitation. A neophyte devotee is always recommended to worship the Deity of the Lord (arcanā) rather than go into the forest to search out the Lord. The aim of Vedic knowledge is to understand God. Therefore those who are actually following Vedic knowledge and searching after God cannot commit sinful activities against the Supreme Lord's order.

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

Quotes from Srila Prabhupada's teachings


vanipedia.org 		The human civilization is meant for searching out God. Na te viduḥ. They do not know, unfortunately. They have forgotten. But by good association, they can remember. Therefore this meeting of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Society's meeting is just to give people chance to associate with the Society and invoke their lost relationship with God. That is the missionary activities of this Society. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Lecture, 2 December 1968, Los Angeles)



vanipedia.org 		The aim of Vedic knowledge is to understand God. Therefore those who are actually following Vedic knowledge and searching after God cannot commit sinful activities against the Supreme Lord's order. However, in this Age of Kali, although men profess to belong to so many different kinds of religions, most of them commit sinful activities against the orders of the Vedic scriptures. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.146)



vanipedia.org 		Eating, sleeping, sex life and defense, these four principles are equal, common, in human life and animal life. Dharma hy tasya eka viśeṣa. The distinction of human life and animal life is that a man is searching after God; an animal cannot search after God. That is the difference. Therefore a man without that urge for searching after God is no better than animal. That is accepted fact in every civilized society. Unfortunately, at the present moment, in every state, in every society, they are trying to forget God. (General Lecture, 20 October 1968, Seattle)



vanipedia.org 		The answer is to search the Absolute Truth, Who is the Source of all emanation. This Absolute Source of emanation is explained preliminarily in the Bhagavad-gita, and explicitly in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. The Srimad-Bhagavatam explains the very beginning of its starting that the Absolute Truth is Sentient, and Person, and Independent. The Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead is distinct from all other living entities, in His being the Absolute Independent. (Letter, 25 February 1968, Los Angeles)



vanipedia.org 		As spiritual beings, having eternal relations with that transcendental form of the Lord, we are, life after life, searching after that form of the Lord, and we are not satisfied by any other form of material appeasement. Nārada Muni got a glimpse of this, but having not seen it again he became perturbed and stood up all of a sudden to search it out. What we desire life after life was obtained by Nārada Muni, and losing sight of Him again was certainly a great shock for him. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.6.18)



vanipedia.org 		People all over the universe who were searching after the Supreme Personality of Godhead knew that He had appeared in the Yadu dynasty and was living in Dvārakā as one of the members of that family. Thus the citizens expressed their joy on this occasion. On hearing the statements of His citizens, the all-pervasive Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, simply smiled. Being pleased with the citizens of Dvārakā, Kṛṣṇa informed them that the person they described as the sun-god was actually King Satrājit, who had come to visit Dvārakā City to show his opulence in the form of the valuable jewel obtained from the sun-god. (Kṛṣṇa Book, Chapter 56)



vanipedia.org 		I am very glad to see your enthusiasm in the service of Lord Krishna and I am sure that this spiritual intoxicant of Krishna consciousness will encourage many many students who are actually in search after the Absolute Truth. I am very glad to learn that my students and children in San Francisco are doing well in Krishna consciousness. (Letter, 21 May 1967, New York)



vanipedia.org 		Yogananda gives no restrictions or regulative principles to his disciples, and thereby collects all nonsense class of men. But if you put restrictions then not so many men will come, but sincere ones will come, those who are actually sincerely searching after real spiritual life. This Yogananda accepts everything as bona fide, because he simply doesn't know what is bona fide and what is nonsense. So there is no need to waste your time. (Letter, 13 November 1968, Los Angeles)


Searching after God - 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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