Real liberation

Expressions researched:
"real liberation"

BG Chapters 7 - 12

Therefore real liberation entails surrender by the living entities to Your control, and that surrender will make them happy. In that constitutional position only can they be controllers.

BG 7.5, Purport: "O Supreme Eternal! If the embodied living entities were eternal and all-pervading like You, then they would not be under Your control. But if the living entities are accepted as minute energies of Your Lordship, then they are at once subject to Your supreme control. Therefore real liberation entails surrender by the living entities to Your control, and that surrender will make them happy. In that constitutional position only can they be controllers. Therefore, men with limited knowledge who advocate the monistic theory that God and the living entities are equal in all respects are actually guided by a faulty and polluted opinion."

SB Canto 3

Real knowledge and real liberation is to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead and engage in devotional service.

SB 3.24.30, Purport: By distributing Sāṅkhya He would increase the honor of the devotees; therefore, Sāṅkhya philosophy is not dry mental speculation. Sāṅkhya philosophy means devotional service. How could the honor of the devotees be increased unless Sāṅkhya were meant for devotional service? Devotees are not interested in speculative knowledge; therefore, the Sāṅkhya enunciated by Kapila Muni is meant to establish one firmly in devotional service. Real knowledge and real liberation is to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead and engage in devotional service.

SB Canto 4

One should therefore seek the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and engage in His devotional service. That is real liberation.

SB 4.22.35, Purport: Liberation means that after giving up this body one does not have to accept another material body. To the impersonalists liberation means merging into the existence of impersonal Brahman. But factually this is not mokṣa because one has to again fall down into this material world from that impersonal position. One should therefore seek the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and engage in His devotional service. That is real liberation. The conclusion is that we should not stress pious activities, economic development and sense gratification, but should concern ourselves with approaching Lord Viṣṇu in His spiritual planets, of which the topmost is Goloka Vṛndāvana, where Lord Kṛṣṇa lives. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the greatest gift for persons who are actually desiring liberation.

SB Canto 5

One achieves real liberation when he understands his position as an eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

SB 5.19.20, Purport: Brahman realization is the beginning of liberation, and Paramātmā realization is still further advancement toward the realm of liberation, but one achieves real liberation when he understands his position as an eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ [SB 2.10.6]). In the material world, in the bodily concept of life, everyone is working in the wrong direction. When one becomes brahma-bhūta [SB 4.30.20], spiritually realized, one understands that he is not the body and that working in the bodily concept of life is useless and misdirected. Then his devotional service begins.

SB Canto 9

On the contrary, a devotee will accept any body, material or spiritual, for he wants to serve the Lord. This is real liberation.

SB 9.13.9, Purport: "O Lord of the universe, I do not desire material wealth, materialistic followers, a beautiful wife or fruitive activities described in flowery language. All I want, life after life, is unmotivated devotional service to You." (Śikṣāṣṭaka 4) By saying "life after life" (janmani janmani), the Lord referred not to an ordinary birth but a birth in which to remember the lotus feet of the Lord. Such a body is desirable. A devotee does not think like yogīs and jñānīs, who want to refuse a material body and become one with the impersonal Brahman effulgence. A devotee does not like this idea. On the contrary, he will accept any body, material or spiritual, for he wants to serve the Lord. This is real liberation.

CC Madhya-lila

Real liberation from life’s perplexities means preparation for the next life.

CC Madhya 25.198, Purport: Due to the contamination of this age, everyone has a very short life. There are many fools and rascals who advise people to adopt this way of life or that way of life, but real liberation from life’s perplexities means preparation for the next life. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati [Bg. 2.13]. One should be situated in his spiritual identity and return home, back to Godhead. The simplest method for this is recommended herein by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. We should constantly chant the holy names of the Lord, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

Sri Isopanisad

Real liberation means going back to Godhead.

Sri Isopanisad 8, Purport: God is described here as paribhūḥ, the greatest of all. No one is greater than or equal to Him. Other living beings are described here as beggars who ask goods from the Lord. The Lord supplies the things the living entities desire. If the entities were equal to the Lord in potency—if they were omnipotent and omniscient—there would be no question of their begging from the Lord, even for so-called liberation. Real liberation means going back to Godhead. Liberation as conceived of by an impersonalist is a myth, and begging for sense gratification has to continue eternally unless the beggar comes to his spiritual senses and realizes his constitutional position.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Not to accept service from others, but to serve others—that is real liberation.

Lecture on BG 1.13-14 -- London, July 14, 1973: So when we agree to serve, not to be served, that is liberated person. When we agree to serve only, not to be served. Not to accept service from others, but to serve others—that is real liberation. But here the material disease is that everyone is making plan "How others will serve me." This is called māyā. This is called māyā. Māyā means that artificially we want to be served. That is not possible. When we agree to serve... As Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given us the path of liberation, jīvera svarūpa hoy nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa, this is our position. We are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa.

That is called real liberation, no more accepting material body.

Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Bombay, February 19, 1974: Material world means suffering. You cannot avoid suffering. But the endeavor is how to get out of suffering. That is called struggle for existence. So you cannot get out of it so long you do not stop acceptance of another material body. That is called real liberation, no more accepting material body. Therefore Bhāgavata says that "These madmen..." Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ. Pramattaḥ. Mattaḥ means mad, and pra means prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa, sufficiently mad. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma [SB 5.5.4]. There are karma, vikarma and akarma. So one should know. Vikarma means criminal activities. Just like so many people are acting criminally simply to get money, as if money will save him.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Real liberation, real consciousness is separation from this material attachment.

Lecture on SB 3.26.2 -- Bombay, December 14, 1974: Self-realization means that "I am spirit soul," ahaṁ brahmāsmi. So 'ham, "I am as good as the Supreme Spirit, Kṛṣṇa. Somehow or other I am now in contact with this material attachment." This is called ātma-darśana. And that is clearly explained, ātma-darśana means hṛdaya-granthi-bhedanam. Ātma-darśanam does not mean hṛdaya-granthi vṛddhi or increasing. Therefore, real ātma-darśana, real liberation, real consciousness is separation from this material attachment. Voluntarily, forcefully, or by knowledge, that is required.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

Real liberation is bhakti-yoga.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, December 27, 1972: They'll never go. This is called liberation. This is called liberation. Simply by thinking, "I have become liberated," and I am handicapped by so many bad habits, that is not liberation. That is simply mental concoction. Real liberation is bhakti-yoga.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

So to develop love of Kṛṣṇa means that is real liberation.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137-142 -- New York, November 29, 1966: Any body, any material body, that is meant for miseries, miseries, tāpa-traya, threefold, threefold material miseries, and, besides that threefold miseries, ultimately birth, death, old age and diseases. So to develop love of Kṛṣṇa means that is real liberation. And that love of Kṛṣṇa begins after many, many births of cultural life. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ [Bg. 7.19]. When one surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa, that is the beginning of his real life. And as he makes progress, then he realizes—I have several times discussed this point—ādau śraddhā. First thing is that "I must get myself out of this material contamination."

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Then the soul gets chance for directly serving Krsna, then real liberation takes place.

Room Conversation -- December 12, 1971, Delhi:

Nara-Nārāyaṇa: I think she wants to know what happens to the soul. Supposing that a plant, we are killing the plant and offering in prasādam to Kṛṣṇa. The jīva soul who is living in the plant, what happens to him?

Prabhupāda: Because he is killed for Kṛṣṇa's purpose so he gets immediately liberation.

Devotee (lady): This is a very sinful life they're living unless we offer everything to Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Not anything. Kṛṣṇa, whatever says (indistinct). Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam [Bg. 9.26]. You can offer these things which is asked by Kṛṣṇa.

Devotee: Do they just get liberation or do they go directly to Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Devotee: They go to Kṛṣṇa or do they only get liberation? Do they go to Goloka Vṛndāvana?

Devotee: What kind of liberation?

Prabhupāda: Well, liberation not always means that he goes directly. In the lower stage liberation means to come out of the lower stage to the human form of body. Then he gets chance for directly serving Kṛṣṇa, then real liberation takes place.