Fearlessness in

Material Existence

Part - 2

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Mathajis,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev.

We are continuing on the topic of becoming fearless in material existence based on verse 4.29.51 from Srimad Bhagavatam.

sa vai priyatamas caatmaa / yato na bhayam anv api
iti veda sa vai vidvaan / yo vidvaan sa gurur harih

"One who is engaged in devotional service has not the least fear in material existence. This is because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Supersoul and friend of everyone. One who knows this secret is actually educated, and one thus educated can become the spiritual master of the world. One who is an actually bonafide spiritual master, representative of Krishna, is not different from Krishna."

In previous mails we saw how when one is engaged in devotional service, he has not the least fear of material existence because he is convinced firmly that Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Super-soul and friend of everyone and resides in everyone heart. We will see how to know this secret.

3. One who knows this secret is actually educated and one thus educated can become the Spiritual master of the world.

Srila Prabhupada uses the word secret because it is confidential to realize the Personality of Godhead and Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita that "out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth". For eg, if we want to know the characteristics of a President of a country, we must either associate with his family or his close friends and confidential relatives. In the same way to know about the secret of realizing the Lord as the Supersoul and friend of everyone, we have to associate with His close associate or His eternal servitors. Srila Prabhupada delineates very wonderfully in 2.9.18 how to know the secret of realizing the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

a· With all conviction believe in the Personality of Godhead without making efforts to realize Him by speculative philosophy.

b. One should prefer to hear about Him from the Srimad Bhagavad Gita and later from the text of Srimad Bhagavatam.

c. One should head such discourses from a person Bhagavatam and not from professional man, or from the karmi or jnani or yogi.

d. One must search out the association of a bonafide devotee of the Lord and hear from him the transcendental message of the Lord with faith and conviction.

This is the secret of learning the science or getting educated in understanding the Supreme Lord as the Supersoul in everyone's heart and friend of everyone.

We had the most fortunate privilege of associating with a bonafide spiritual master, HDG Srila Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj and by his mercy we are able to have a taste for Srila Prabhupada's books. Inspite of that if our faith is weak and conviction is not strong enough, then there is no-one who could save us. We are reading, but we are doubting it whether it is really true and therefore the secret is not being revealed to us. We have firm faith in all the material things but on the spiritual realm we are unable to do. Srila Prabhupada writes that we must search out. The searching for spiritual quest is not so intense as we are bounded to material things which is called in Srimad Bhagavatam verse 7.5.31 as 'isha tantryaam uru dhaamni baddhaah' (bound by strong ropes of material nature).

Krishna willing, we will see how to severe the strong cord of material nature and develop fearlessness in material existence, understanding the position of our spiritual master and how to behave with him.

Thank you very much.

Your humble servant in the service of Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev,

Sajjanapriya Krishna Das,
Abudhabi.