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So-called liberation

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 2

A pure devotee does not want liberation so that he may be relieved from the miseries of life. Even without so-called liberation, a pure devotee is aspirant for the satisfaction of the Lord.
SB 2.3.10, Purport: Thoughts of becoming one with the Lord, or being merged in the brahmajyoti, can also be exhibitions of kāma spirit if they are desires for one's own satisfaction to be free from the material miseries. A pure devotee does not want liberation so that he may be relieved from the miseries of life. Even without so-called liberation, a pure devotee is aspirant for the satisfaction of the Lord. Influenced by the kāma spirit, Arjuna declined to fight in the Kurukṣetra battlefield because he wanted to save his relatives for his own satisfaction. But being a pure devotee, he agreed to fight on the instruction of the Lord because he came to his senses and realized that satisfaction of the Lord at the cost of his own satisfaction was his prime duty. Thus he became akāma. That is the perfect stage of a perfect living being.

SB Canto 3

The so-called liberation of thinking oneself God is that last reaction of avidyā by which the living entity is entrapped.
SB 3.7.10, Purport: Similarly a living entity is eternally subordinate to the Supreme Lord, and he has this knowledge with him, but, artificially, he thinks that he is God himself and that although he is God he has lost his knowledge due to māyā. This conception has no meaning, just as there is no meaning to seeing one's head being cut off. This is the process by which knowledge is covered. And because this artificial rebellious condition of the living entity gives him all troubles, it is to be understood that he should take to his normal life as a devotee of the Lord and be relieved from the misconception of being God. The so-called liberation of thinking oneself God is that last reaction of avidyā by which the living entity is entrapped. The conclusion is that a living entity deprived of eternal transcendental service to the Lord becomes illusioned in many ways. Even in his conditional life he is the eternal servant of the Lord. His servitude under the spell of illusory māyā is also a manifestation of his eternal condition of service.

SB Canto 5

Devotional service as the highest perfection of life, nothing else is important, even so-called liberation.
SB 5.17.3, Purport: In the upper planetary system, the topmost planet is Dhruvaloka, and beneath Dhruvaloka are the seven planets occupied by the great sages, beginning with Marīci, Vasiṣṭha and Atri. All these sages regard devotional service as the highest perfection of life. Therefore they all carry the holy water of the Ganges on their heads. This verse proves that for one who has achieved the platform of pure devotional service, nothing else is important, even so-called liberation (kaivalya). Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī states that only by achieving pure devotional service of the Lord can one give up all other engagements as insignificant.

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Nectar of Devotion

The personified vedas said "Your devotees who have left their domestic comforts to associate with the liberated ācāryas [teachers] are now fully merged in the devotional service of Your Lordship, and thus they do not care for any so-called liberation."

Nectar of Devotion 4: "Dear Lord, it is very difficult to understand spiritual knowledge. Your appearance here, just as You are, is to explain to us this most difficult subject of knowledge of the spirit. As such, Your devotees who have left their domestic comforts to associate with the liberated ācāryas [teachers] are now fully merged in the devotional service of Your Lordship, and thus they do not care for any so-called liberation." In explaining this verse it should be noted that spiritual knowledge means understanding the self and the Supersoul, or Superself. The individual soul and the Supersoul are qualitatively one, and therefore both of them are known as Brahman, or spirit. But knowledge of Brahman is very difficult to understand.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Lord Brahmā said "So-called liberation and bondage have no meaning for a person who is already engaged in Your devotional service."
Krsna Book 14:So-called liberation and bondage have no meaning for a person who is already engaged in Your devotional service, just as a rope is not fearful to a person who knows that it is not a snake. A devotee knows that this material world belongs to You, and he therefore engages everything in Your transcendental loving service. Thus there is no bondage for him. For a person who is already situated in the sun planet, there is no question of the appearance or disappearance of the sun in the name of day or night. It is also said that You, Kṛṣṇa, are just like the sun, and that māyā is like darkness. When the sun is present, there is no question of darkness; so, for those who always remain in Your presence by engaging in Your service, there is no question of bondage or liberation. They are already liberated. On the other hand, persons who falsely think themselves to be liberated without taking shelter of Your lotus feet fall down because their intelligence is not pure".
Devotees are not interested even in so-called liberation, and they certainly have no interest in material activities for elevation to the heavenly planets for sense gratification.
Krsna Book 87: When hearing and chanting about Your transcendental pastimes, Your devotees do not care even for the transcendental bliss derived from liberation or from merging into the existence of the Supreme. Such devotees are not interested even in so-called liberation, and they certainly have no interest in material activities for elevation to the heavenly planets for sense gratification. Pure devotees seek only the association of paramahaṁsas, or great liberated devotees, so that they can continuously hear and chant about Your glories. For this purpose the pure devotees are prepared to sacrifice all comforts of life, even giving up the material comforts of family life and so-called society, friendship and love.

Sri Isopanisad

The Lord supplies the things the living entities desire. There is no question of their begging from the Lord, even for so-called liberation.
Sri Isopanisad 8: 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.

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Jñānīs try to come to the position of understanding Kṛṣṇa, this takes many births, therfore so-called liberation is not possible, because if you have to take birth.
Lecture on SB 1.16.13-15 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1974: So the jñānīs, who actually... No, I mean to say, jñānīs, they also immediately come. Therefore they have to try to come to this position of understanding Kṛṣṇa, many, many, births, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante [Bg. 7.19], not in one birth. They will have to take birth. Their so-called liberation is not possible, because if you have to take birth, then where is your liberation? There is no liberation. Liberation means no more accepting birth in this material world. That is called liberation. So Bhagavad-gītā says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān. Those who are cultivating knowledge, so there is no mukti. Because they have to take birth again.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The pure devotee does not give very much value to so-called liberation.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 3, 1972: So pure devotional service rare... In this way, the point is that pure devotee does not give very much value to so-called liberation. Because so-called liberation, so-called... It is in this sense that we have seen many so-called liberated persons, muk..., vimukta-māninaḥ. They considered that... Vimukta-māninaḥ. Now, you'll be pleased to hear that one of the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs in India, very well known, his disciples came to me to invite me because they are now seeing that their Māyāvāda philosophy has not been so much effective as devotional service.

General Lectures

Śrīdhara Swami said "In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is no chance or opportunity for thinking of so-called liberation."
Lecture with Translator -- Sanand, December 27, 1975: "In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is no chance or opportunity for thinking of so-called liberation." The purpose is that if one fully surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, he immediately becomes liberated. The Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, he says, muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate asmān. Why... For a devotee, why he should be anxious for mukti, because mukti is always standing on his door to give him service, mukulitāñjali-sevā, with folded hands. So a devotee hasn't got to endeavor separately for mukti. As soon as he is engaged in devotional service, mukti is already there.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

The so-called religion, so-called economic development, so-called sense gratification, so-called liberation, they're all cheating.
Room Conversation -- April 2, 1972, Sydney:

Śyāmasundara: The whole secret of life has been lost when this civilization was lost. Every knowledge.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So you try to give them, these foolish men. They are after dharma artha kāma mokṣa [SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90]. Therefore, Bhāgavata begins, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra: [SB 1.1.2] all this cheating, rascaldom, is thrown away. Dharma artha kāma mokṣa. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra. Śrīdhara Swami explains, kaitavaḥ, these are all cheating. The so-called religion, so-called economic development, so-called sense gratification, so-called liberation, they're all cheating.

Śyāmasundara: Because they promise something they don't deliver?

Prabhupāda: No, no. Even if you get it, what do you get? You go to... Supposed you go to church: "God, give us our daily bread." God is giving, then what do you get? Bread is given to the animals also. Why you are going to the church? That is the Communist say, that "We shall give you bread. Why you waste your time with so-called religions?" The politician says that "You want to be happy, there is technology. Why you are going to pray to God? This is all nonsense." They are thinking that. But prayer is not meant for that purpose. Prayer... Just like we are praying, but our prayer is "Kṛṣṇa, kindly engage me in Your service," Hare Kṛṣṇa. "O the energy of Kṛṣṇa, O the Lord Kṛṣṇa, please engage me in Your service." This is our prayer. We are not going to prayer, "O God, give us our daily bread." And if you get bread, then what do you gain?

Correspondence

1969 Correspondence

The conclusion is that without developing the spiritual body and without being situated on one of the spiritual planets, the so-called liberation is also illusion, or it is not complete.
Letter to Rupanuga -- Los Angeles 24 July, 1969: The spirit souls in the Brahmajyoti, although they have no desire for sense gratification, still they feel inconvenience like the ghost, and they fall down again in the Maya's atmosphere and develop a material body. In the Bhagavat therefore it is said that persons who are impersonalists and do not develop the dormant devotional attitude, their intelligence is not pure, because for want of a spiritual body, they come down again to the material world. In the Bhagavad-gita it is clearly said by the Lord that the only way of not coming back to the material world is to be promoted to the spiritual planets. For the impersonalists there is no such assurance of not falling down in the whole Vedic literature. The conclusion is that without developing the spiritual body and without being situated on one of the spiritual planets, the so-called liberation is also illusion, or it is not complete. A spirit soul who falls down from the Brahmajyoti to the Kingdom of Maya may have a chance of associating with a pure devotee, and then he may be elevated to the spiritual planets of Vaikuntha or to Goloka Vrindaban. From the Brahmajyoti there is no direct promotion to the spiritual planets, and it is clearly stated in the Bhagavatam that such souls fall down: patanty adha.
Page Title:So-called liberation
Compiler:Matea, Visnu Murti, ChrisF
Created:17 of Jul, 2008
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=3, CC=0, OB=4, Lec=3, Con=1, Let=1
No. of Quotes:12