THE MATERIAL WORLD IS A REFLECTION OF THE SPIRITUAL WORLD

THE YOGA OF THE SUPREME PERSON
15.1: THE SUPREME LORD SAID: There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches down; and the Vedic hymns are its leaves. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas.
PURPORT
AFTER DISCUSSING THE importance of Bhaktiyoga, there may be some question: What about the Vedas? It will be explained in this chapter that the purpose of the Vedic study is to understand Krishna. Therefore, one who is in Krishna consciousness, engaged in devotional service, is already in knowledge of the Vedas. The entanglement of this material world is compared here to a banyan tree. For one who is engaged in fruitive activities, there is no end to the banyan tree. He wanders from one branch to another, to another, to another, to another: The tree of this material world has no end; and one who is attached to this tree has no possibility of liberation. The Vedic hymns, meant for elevating oneself, are called the leaves of this tree. This tree being root-upward means that it begins from where Brahma is located, which is the topmost planet of this universe. One should understand this indestructible tree of illusion, and then one can break away from it. This should be understood. In the previous chapters it has been explained that there are many processes to get out of the material entanglement. And, up to the Thirteenth Chapter, we have seen that devotional service to the Supreme Lord is the best way. Now the basic principle of devotional service is detachment from the material activities and attachment to the transcendental service of the Lord. The root of this material existence is upward. This means that it begins from the total material substance, from the topmost planet of the universe. From there the whole universe is expanded, with so many branches, the various planetary systems. The fruits are the results of the living entities' activities. They include religiousness, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation. One should have a thorough understanding of this imperishable tree.
Now, we have no ready experience in this world of a tree situated with its branches down and its roots upward; but there is such a thing. That tree can be found when we go to a reservoir of water. We can see that the trees on the bank are reflected upon the water-branches down, roots up. In other words, the tree of this material world is only a reflection of the real tree. The real tree is the spiritual world. This reflection of the real tree is situated on desire, as the tree's reflection is situated on water. One who wants to get out of this material existence must know thoroughly, through analytical study, this tree. Then he can cut off the relationship with this material world.

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Dinesh
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Influenced by our past lives

(H H Kadamba Kanana Swami, 9th February, 2012, Leicester, England) Lecture: SB 1.2.19

We cannot trace out how long we have been in the material world. Life after life, we are changing bodies – that is to say we are changing the gross bodies but the mind (or the subtle body which is made up of mind, intelligence and false ego) is travelling with us life after life as long as we are taking bodies into the material world. Therefore, the impressions of so many lifetimes are stored in our consciousness, but by the arrangement of the Supreme Lord we have forgotten these previous lives. But all the memories of the previous lives are stored within the sub-consciousness, and subconsciously they are influencing us….. so many lives. Therefore a cute little child is not just totally innocent, because there is a whole history there that my not just be manifested yet, but it will come out after a little while. And then you think:

'Well how is it possible that my little darling is doing such a thing?'

But your little darling has already done these things in unlimited previous lives. So in this way we are very much influenced by the three modes of material nature, which spread out over many, many lifetimes.

Srila Prabhupada is mentioning that we should associate with the mode of goodness. He doesn't say that we should be in the mode of goodness, since he says that we should associate in the mode of goodness, which I think is an interesting point. I guess if someone says:

'You must be in the mode of goodness.'

Then we are all trying:

'Goodness….goodness. How am I ever going to be in the mode of goodness? It's so not easy!'

Just by determination and endeavour we cannot really change our heart. But by associating with the mode of goodness, then one gradually develops the qualities of goodness. However, here in the Srimad Bhagavatam, the transcendental process of devotional service is described. It is said that:

'By devotional service, automatically the influence of ignorance and passion disappears. Then eventually one becomes fixed in goodness and even in pure goodness!'

Unalloyed goodness – known as 'viśuddha-sattva' – transcendental goodness. Meanwhile we are in the process of purification and the influences of the lower nature are still there. And due to the influence of the modes of lower nature, some bad habits may still be there……………………..Because we were already afflicted with sinful behaviour from previous lives the tendency is there once again. And then when we are in an environment where such association is there then the inclination to act in a sinful way is very strong!

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Our true eternal identity

(H H Kadamba Kanana Swami, 9th February, 2012, Leicester, England) Lecture: SB 1.2.19

Our true identity remains hidden underneath all these layers of material conditioning. That true identity is not something we cannot access at the present. We have no idea who we really are in the spiritual world. What our eternal identity truly is, since it is hard to say. For that matter a truck driver who is covered with tattoos might be a gopi in the spiritual world! It's possible, and the ballerina could be a cowherd boy in the spiritual world. Our current situation is not necessarily the same! It's hard to say….a gorilla may not be a gorilla in the spiritual world.

So therefore in our current condition in devotional service, we are not taking our material desires so seriously. We are observing them and judging them:

'Are these going to get me into trouble ? Or not? If they are not going to get me into too much trouble, then alright maybe, I'll pursue them. But if they'll get me into trouble, no then I will definitely have to give them up.'

That is the practice of devotional service, one has to have that willingness to say:

'Some of my desires I will forego.'

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Influenced by our environment

(H H Kadamba Kanana Swami, 9th February, 2012, Leicester, England) Lecture: SB 1.2.19

I grew up in the Netherlands where it is sort of a place where a few activities are going on, which are not really found in all the scriptures….or not recommended at least! Sometimes they are mentioned as a path to the gateway to hell, but they are not really the recommended activities.

Then again, you get kids in your school who say:

'Come on…….come on, don't be a square! You try this?'

And they try to convince you to take drugs! At that point someone might think:

'Yeah well…..I guess….yes!'

Whereas anybody with a little bit of intelligence can appreciate that these things are bringing only misery! So the modes of ignorance surround us. There are traces of the modes of ignorance within us. At an early age we are being influenced before we can even fully make informed decisions….mature decisions. We are already influenced by our environment!

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One must always be on guard

(H H Kadamba Kanana Swami, 9th February 2012, Leicester, England) Lecture: SB 1.2.19
There are stories that people in New York keep crocodiles as a pet, and when they grow up, then they put them in the New York sewers! And there are crocodiles living there underground in the New York city – there are stories like that, because it might be true, since when you keep a crocodile as a pet…………it's one thing when it is a little crocodile………….but as the crocodile grows up and the teeth are growing, then there is a problem, because there is no such thing as taming a croc! Never ever can you trust a croc…a croc is always a croc and can bite at any moment and there goes a leg, a hand or other more important parts.

So crocodiles are treacherous…. they stand for being treacherous and being totally untrustworthy. So it is very interesting that the material energy is depicted like a crocodile, I find, since that is basically what we are dealing with. The material energy cannot be trusted. One cannot think:

'I have it under control, no problem. I have now arranged material circumstances in such a way that you know I do not have to worry about it.. no problem at all….. I'm safe.'

No, one must always be on guard in the material world. That is basically the injunction of the scriptures:

'padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām,' (SB 10.14.58)

Danger at every step:

'sv-alpam apy asya dharmasya
trāyate mahato bhayāt,' (BG 2.40)

The greatest danger is that we may then fall down in the material world. Srila Prabhupada made that point. He said that:

'The biggest problem is that you are not sufficiently afraid of maya!'

So that is why I'm emphasising the point. So a devotee must be careful!

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What is Krishna trying to teach me? part 1

(H H Kadamba Kanana Swami, 9th February 2012, Leicester, England) Lecture: SB 1.2.19


The material world is sometimes presented as an educational model – a place where we have to learn a lesson. This life is meant for that purpose. Krishna is trying to teach us in this life. So it's in that mode that we now are kind of thinking. When one thinks like that, then one can see in the events that are taking place that Krishna is trying to teach us through these events, and one may wonder:

'What's He trying to teach me?'

All right and things happen. Sometimes things go wrong, and especially when this happens, we tend to be reflective:

'Why is thing happening to me? And what am I to learn from this?'

There is no point in going back to previous lives, and trying to find out:

'What was I? What did I do in my previous life? And maybe I should go under hypnosis.'

Bir Krishna Maharaja did this with a group of devotees in Germany. There were some brahmacaris there, and he told them:

'You might be surprised that in your last life you were a female!'

And then he said:

'Look at your feet!'

And this one brahmacari looks at his feet and he had red shoes on and said:

'Oh my God!'

And then he remembered the whole life, in a female body with the children and the entire family……the whole story came back and all the frustration and hope…..and why it didn't work out…..the kids didn't become what they wanted them to become and so on. So what's behind that life, and behind that life…….and behind that life….and behind all the other lives – there is not end to it. So digging in previous lives is not what is required. It's just that all these lives have culminated in a quality….we have developed a quality, because of certain behaviour from a previous life, we may for an example developed a quality of pride, and then Krishna (to teach us) may create circumstance to cut down that pride! First you rise to glory and then suddenly 'bang!' it's all gone!

So in this way one has to simply look at the quality:

'What is Krishna trying to teach me here?'

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What is Krishna trying to teach me? part 2

(H H Kadamba Kanana Swami, 9th February 2012, Leicester, England) Lecture: SB 1.2.19

I gave the example of pride – when suddenly someone loses everything and is humble:

'Alright Krishna wants me to develop humility.'

Or someone may experience anger and how it is getting out of hand. I myself had an experience as a kid, which stayed with me for my whole life. There was a boy at school who said:

'What do you think of this joke.'

And he pokes his a finger in my eye! Well I got angry beyond myself. I got so angry that I kind of twisted his arms and smacked him against the wall. I was really in a destruction mode, and he broke his arm! He started to scream really loud. I ran and all the kids ran after me, but I out ran them all. I ran very fast, and shook them off. Later, when I returned back to school in the afternoon, and the head teacher was there and I was the criminal. I thought it was not fair because the guy had poked me in the eye, but he broke his arm!

What a drama, first at school and then at home my father was saying:

'The insurance policy is going up!'

To make it worse in the same week, I kicked the football through the main glass window! One month later, there was some road works and the pumps, pipes and planks were there. I was there showing my brother a flying bicycle trick, when this old lady decided to come out on the walkway of our house and she also broke her arm! So it was a total disaster. It's like in a span of two – three months it was a big disaster, which stayed with me for the whole life. I controlled anger after that. Watch out with anger! I also didn't do any more flying bicycle rides….I never did one again.

So we do learn certain things in life, which help us to control the qualities that arise from the modes of material nature, and that is sufficient. So rather then looking at:

'What is the cause? Why do I have this anger? Maybe in my last life I already had this anger problem. If I go back to the last life then I will solve it!'

Well, okay, probably in the last life you had an anger problem, and you did not solved it. So are you going to solve it now or what? Or are you going to wait until the next life again? It's time to solve it now! Do not wait until it gets out of hand, just solve it now! So anger is meant to be controlled So in this way, we learn through circumstances, but Prabhupada points out:

'Better learn through hearing!'

That is the first part of the approach – to learn from hearing. One who is less intelligent has to learn through experience- one who has no brain at all, that even after experiencing it, one still doesn't learn………………so we are suppose to learn from hearing and through experience, and most of us learn from the combination of these two.

I must admit that in my life also in many cases learning by the circumstances and the scriptures give the purport. Often times the scriptures gave the purport to the lesson I learnt from the circumstances! But a very wise person can immediately just learn from the scriptures. Krishna may still give us confirmation after that! So we understand that, yes you have to be humble, and Krishna will give us real life situations where we are forced to be humble. To reconfirm yes, you really have to be humble, since Krishna will test us!

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Effect of Chanting

Blog: www.gloriouskrishna.blogspot.com

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Everything comes from Chanting!

While chanting very prayerfully, one's motivation and intensity of desire to please Krishna increases. One of the specific ways in which our desire to please Krishna intensifies is to desire to present ourselves before Krishna with finer qualities, and fewer faults, flaws, shortcomings, etc. With this purpose in mind, we naturally begin to endeavor to obtain these better qualities, motivated NOT by something material hankering (for respect, accetance by others, praise, gaining a sense of self-accomplishment, etc), but ONLY to increase the happiness Krishna receives when we come before Him to offer Him our services. Only by His bestowing His mercy, however, not by our efforts alone, the desirable good qualities develop to enhance the pleasure of Krishna. Thus, one is not chanting while separately in pursuit good qualities. In fact, everything comes from chanting!

- HH Romapada Swami

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