After self-realization, when he understands that he is not this body . . . in the bodily conception of life I am thinking, "I belong to this family," "I belong to this society," "I belong to the country," and so many. Ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). Janasya moho 'yam, this illusion is going on. And brahma-bhūtaḥ means one who is above this illusion. He has no more such distinction that "I am this body. I am belong to this family, I belong to this country or community." No. "I belong to Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa says jīv . . . mamaivāṁśa. Kṛṣṇa says. And brahma-bhūtaḥ stage means I have realized that I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, and my only business is to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is Brahman realization. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścin vetti māṁ tattvataḥ. Tattvataḥ means one has to understand in truth what is Kṛṣṇa and what is my relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Simply siddha is not perfection. Siddha means "I am not this body." That is all right; that is perfection. But you have to make further progress. Brahma-bhūtaḥ, you have become now self-realized, that's all right. Na śocati na . . . samaḥ sarveṣu. But you have to enter into the parā-bhakti. Then your self-realization will stand. Otherwise again you will fall down. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32).
I have given this example that you have got a very nice sputnik, airplane; you can go many thousands and millions miles up. But if you don't get any shelter either in the moon planet or any other planet, then you come back again. The same example. Similarly, you may become brahma-bhūtaḥ, Brahman realized, but if you simply remain in the impersonal, or void . . . Brahma-bhūtaḥ means to make this material world null and void and you come to the another world, spiritual world. So if you cannot enter into the spiritual world, mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām (BG 18.54), if you simply remain brahma-bhūtaḥ, then you will fall down. Because you are by nature seeking ānanda, blissful life. So if you do not get varieties of life . . . just like we want varieties in this material world. This material world is simply imitation of the spiritual world. So we are attached to the varieties; therefore we are seeking ānanda. But because it is material and we are spiritual being, we cannot enjoy this ānanda, material varieties, fully. There are so many defects, inebrieties, and we are seeking that spiritual variety. So if you don't enter into the spiritual world with spiritual variety, then you will again fall down. That is called bhakti-yoga.
Just like Kṛṣṇa says, yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). When you get spiritual varieties—that you can get when you enter into the spiritual world, either in the Vaikuṇṭha world, planet, or in the Goloka Vṛndāvana planet, there are varieties. The varieties are mentioned in the śāstra:
- cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-
- lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam
- lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ
- govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
- (Bs. 5.29)
Veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣam (Bs. 5.30). Don't think that Kṛṣṇa figure is the imagination of some artist or painter. No, no. These are the description in the Vedas. Veṇuṁ kvaṇantam, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, is playing on His flute. Veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣam. And His eyes are like the petals of lotus flower. Veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁ barhāvataṁsam. There is a feather of peacock, asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam, His complexion is like black cloud but very, very beautiful. Veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁ barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam, kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya: He is so beautiful that more attractive than many, many hundreds and thousands of Cupid. Kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam aham bhajāmi. This is the Govinda's description.