10. "If we think we are the mind and the external body, the Transcendental Sound will have no effect on us, for that is the domain of mundane sound."


...First of all, we should examine our self. If we think we are the mind and the external body, the Transcendental Sound will have no effect on us, for that is the domain of mundane sound. The Transcendental Sound Himself will tell us that the external body is but a garment of the inner, astral body, and those bodies are the two coverings of the soul who, in his dormant condition, incorporates them, despite their inability to unveil his own real nature. The external body is perishable; the internal body is transformable. Our mind in the morning is different from our mind at noon and so on. It is changed by the passing of time.


We cannot rely upon the mind or our mental speculation. All of us are busy making our mind control everything related to us. But this behaviour does not acknowledge the conception of the Absolute. Mental conceptions are always mutable. The property must not be confounded with the proprietor, and our external body is but our property. It is perishable and there is no certainty of its retention.


In ancient Egypt, the body was preserved because it was thought to be a necessary process for the reawakening of the soul. The materialists see the externality of things. They observe that the combination of material particles seems to produce animation. And so, the materialistic sciences scrutinize the external.


 - by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda


Rays of The Harmonist On-line, Year-4, Issue 11 “When the Transcendental Sound Makes His Appearance” by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License to ensure that it is always freely available. You may redistribute this article if you include this license and attribute it to Rays of The Harmonist. Please ask for permission before using the Rays of The Harmonist banner-logo.

Adapted from The Gaudiya, Volume 28, Number 3–4


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

33. "The true meaning of tṛṇād api sunīcatā is the actual ability (adhikāra) to perform kīrtana. In other words, it means to have true taste for chanting the holy names, identifying oneself as the servant of Śrī Nāma."

Image
  Question:  What is the true meaning of being humbler than a blade of grass?* _____________ * C.f.  Śrī Śikṣāṣtaka  (3): “ tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ ” Answer:  Although the Vaiṣṇava is the topmost personality, he considers himself more insignificant than a blade of grass. In reality, he is not insignificant or lowly. Rather he is worthy of being honoured by the Supreme Lord Himself. Vaiṣṇavas are worthy of everyone’s worship and honour. This is why the word  su-nīca * has been used instead of simply  nīca  (low). _____________ * Apart from adding emphasis, the prefix  su-  indicates goodness, virtue and beauty. Therefore  sunīca  has often been translated as ‘humbler’ rather than ‘lower’. “I am the dust of the lotus feet of Śrīla Gurudeva. I am the servant of  śrī guru  and Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” This transcendental self-conception ( abhimāna ) is indeed  tṛṇād api sunīca...
Read more

30. "All Theistic churches will shortly merge in the one eternal spiritual community by the grace of the Supreme Lord Shree Krishna Chaitanya"

Image
Thakur Bhaktivinode's greatest gift to the world consists in this; that he has brought about the appearance of those pure devotees who are, at present, carrying on the movement of unalloyed devotion to the Feet of Shree Krishna by their own wholetime spiritual service of the Divinity. The purity of the soul is only analogously describable by the resources of the mundane language. The highest ideal of empiric morality is no better than the grossest wickedness to the Transcendental perfect purity of the bonafide devotee of the Absolute. The word 'morality' itself is a mischievous misnomer when it is applied to any quality of the conditioned soul. The hypocritical contentment with a negative attitude is part and parcel of the principle of undiluted immorality. Those who pretend to recognise the Divine Mission of Thakur Bhaktivinode without aspiring to the unconditional service of those pure souls who really follow the teachings of the Thakur by the method enjoined by the scrip...
Read more

25. "if we join the kīrtana of the blinded self-deceivers who are not anxious for their true well-being then surely we will not attain our own true well-being."

Image
  Kirtana is called saṅkīrtana when many people perform it together. But will it be worthy of the name saṅkīrtana if some worthless people, without any ardour for Śrī Bhagavān's service, come together to shout in unison? It will be true hari-saṅkīrtana when we join the saṅkīrtana of true devotees who are serving Śrī Bhagavān according to the principles established in the Vedas and allied śāstras. Contrastingly, it is not hari-saṅkīrtana when it is conducted for the prevention of the epidemics of cholera or pox, for prosperity in trade, for gain or for respect and fame. This kīrtana is māyā-kīrtana – chanting within the jurisdiction of the illusory potency. As long as we do not join the perfect kṛṣṇa-kīrtana conducted by genuine devotees, maya will delude us in various ways. And if we join the kīrtana of the blinded self-deceivers who are not anxious for their true well-being then surely we will not attain our own true well-being. If we follow people who never receive instructions ...
Read more