There are so many religious system -- Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion -- but they are all material conception of religion. Material conception means that we are in this material world, and through a process or system we are trying to understand what is God. That is called religion. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam (SB 6.3.19). The attempt to understand God and His laws, that is religion. So it doesn't matter whether it is executed through a system called Hindu religion or a system called Muslim religion or a system called Christian religion. If the objective is the same, Adhoksaja, then that process is first-class religion. If we simply stick to a system without making any progress towards the goal of understanding the Adhoksaja, then it is srama eva hi kevalam.
- dharmah svanusthitah pumsam
- visvaksena-kathasu yah
- notpadayed yadi ratim
- srama eva hi kevalam
- (SB 1.2.8)
Don't be stuck up in a system. The system is required provided if you make progress towards the realization of the Supreme. But if you simply follow a system but do not make advance in the matter of realizing the Supreme, then, according to Srimad-Bhagavatam or according to the Vedic version, it is simply labor of love. It has no value. Therefore Bhagavata says, "That is first-class religion system." It doesn't matter you call it Hindu or Muslim or Christian or Buddha. "That is first-class religion which helps you progressing in realization of the Adhoksaja." Adhoksaja, another name of Krsna. Adhoksaja means the subject matter which you cannot understand simply by mental speculation or by empiric knowledge, by exercising and empiric knowledge. That is called Adhoksaja. Adhah-krtam aksa-jam indriya-jnanam yena.
So adhok... We have to approach that Adhoksaja. There are different stages of knowledge: pratyaksa, paroksa, aparoksa, adhoksaja, aprakrta. So we have to approach the aprakrta, transcendental, above the material nature. Adhoksaja is almost nearer than the lower grade of knowledge, pratyaksa, paroksaparoksa. They are in the kanistha-adhikara.
- arcayam eva haraye
- pujam yah sraddhayehate
- na tad-bhaktesu canyesu
- sa bhaktah prakrtah smrtah
- (SB 11.2.47)
So prakrta stage is pratyaksa knowledge, direct perception, and knowledge received from parampara. Pratyaksa, paroksa, then aparoksa, self-realization, then adhoksaja, aprakrta. So Krsna consciousness is aprakrta knowledge. It is the topmost platform of knowing Krsna, aprakrta knowledge. So, so long we are up to the adhoksaja knowledge, that is regulative principles. We have to follow the regulative principles strictly. And aprakrta knowledge is for the paramahamsa. There is... That is called raga-bhakta. In these stages, pratyaksa, paroksa, they are called viddhi-bhakti. But without viddhi-bhakti, you cannot reach to the platform of raga-bhakti, although that is our aim. Raganuga, raga-bhakti is executed following the footprints of the devotees in Vrndavana. That is called raga-bhakti. Krsna's personal associates. Not to become directly Krsna's personal associate, but following the footprints of Krsna's eternal associates, we can come to the stage of raga-bhakti. That is called para-bhakti. That para-bhakti is required.
- brahma-bhutah prasannatma
- na socati na kanksati
- samah sarvesu bhutesu
- mad-bhaktim labhate param
- (BG 18.54)
So this Krsna consciousness movement is gradually developing up to the stage of raga-bhakti or para-bhakti. Then life is successful. In that way we should not be disturbed by these ethereal interactions. As it is stated here, mrdutvam kathinatvam ca saityam usnatvam eva ca. We are disturbed by these things. Suppose we are lying on the floor. It is kathinatvam: it is very hard. But if we given a cushion or a nice mattress, that is mrdutvam. Similarly, sitosna. Water, sometimes it is felt very chilly, cold, and sometimes it is very hot. The water is the same; according to the change of ethereal arrangement, it is becoming in different position, different condition. And it is the source of pains and pleasure on account of this touch, the skin. The skin is touch. So if we understand fully that "I am not this body," that requires realization, atmanubhuti.
The more we become advanced in spiritual consciousness, the more we become situated in atma-stha. That is called sthita-prajna. Then we shall not be disturbed. And we should practice not to be disturbed by these conditional or ethereal transformation. We should. Because we do not belong, as spirit soul, aham brahmasmi, I do not belong to this material arrangement, but I have been accustomed to this, so by practice I have to come to the spiritual status. And during practice it requires tolerance. That is called bhajana, sadhana, or tapasya, austerity, penance, tolerance. The things which we are not, but somehow or other, we have identified with such material things, and to practice again, come to the spiritual platform, that tolerance is called tapasya. This is the meaning of tapasya. Tapah means pain, to voluntarily accepting some pain.