The ConsfifufionaI Funcfion Of The SouI

22nd Kartíh, 1928, Iríday A[tcrnoon

I lavc no capaciiy io icnd io ilc lcci ol ilc dcnizcns ol ilis loly placc. Yci by ilc
giacc ol Siï Gauiasundaia and uigcd by youi good wislcs, I siand lcic io spcal
only il I may ilcicby scivc ilc scivanis ol Siï Gauianga. Indccd il wc can iiuly
scivc ilc lcci ol ilc dcvoiccs ol Siï Gauianga, by wlosc giacclul glancc alonc all
dcsiics, lopcs, and aims in lilc aic casily lullillcd, ilcn ilai will bc a ciowning
aclicvcmcni.
Wc aic pioud ol oui cgo. Wc aic ciilci givcn io judgc sinlul and pious acis oi
ilinl low wc can loid ii ovci oilcis by acquiiing powci. Tlcsc aic all basc scll-
gloiilicaiions. lui onc dcvoicd io Gauianga says ilai all dcsiics aciuaiing cvciy
objcci liom ilc pillai io ilc liglcsi bcing (lialma), all laboui loi woildly
posscssions, all longing loi cnjoymcni and cvciy lind ol icnunciaiion alici saiiciy,
aic all pscudo-cxisicni and cvancsccni, í.c., subjcci io clangc and iimc. Wlcn wc
losc anyiling so acquiicd, lilc sccms vacani and usclcss. lui ii is quiic luiilc io iiy
io siiaiglicn ilc iail ol a dog-sucl bcing ilc cnd ol all cnjoymcnis in ilc
louiiccn splcics. All plcasuics acquiicd as ilc liuiis ol woildly woil aic
iiansiioiy.
Caiiicd away by scnsc-pciccpiions ol cyc, cai, ioucl, iasic and sound wc iuin inio
cgo-woislippcis. In ilis siaic ilc puic aciiviiy ol ilc soul lics doimani. Tlcn wc
also dcsiic ilc plcasuic in lcavcn. And wlcn sucl idcas aic siiong in us wc cii by
idcniilying ouisclvcs wiil ilis mind, wlicl ilus sccms io bc ilc cnjoyci ol ilc
ilings ol ilis woild. Tlis piopcnsiiy loi scllisl cnjoymcni dcadcns ilc puic
lunciion ol ilc Soul.
lui ilc Soul lnows ilai Siï Kisna is ilc Onc Absoluic Tiuil.
Siï Naiayana is ilc cmbodimcni ol His Majcsiy. Naiayana ilougl is ilc uliimaic
souicc ol ilc Absoluic Tiuil, Kisna's iiansccndcni dcsignaiion, loim, qualiiics,
and spoiiivc aciiviiics ,IíIa) cxccl Naiayana's Majcsiy by His display ol swccicning
lcauiy. In Kisna ilc lullcsi majcsiy is mcllowcd by ilc mosi dclicious swccincss
,maánurya) wlicl picdominaics. Wlcn wc do noi lnow all ilcsc and loigci oui
iiuc sclvcs, wc cannoi undcisiand ilc aciiviiics ol a Vaisnava and ilc
iiansccndcnial iiuil undcilying sucl aciiviiics, and so givc ouisclvcs up io
woildly cnmiiy and liicndslip, ialing ilings iiansiioiy and illusoiy as cicinal and
ical.
Sccondly, Kisna is complcicly all-cognisani. Maiciial objccis aic noi scll-
conscious. God is cvci cxisicni. Ii is, indccd, iliougl misialc ilai wc considci
ouisclvcs as lialman. Ii is only ilcn ilai sucl usclcss aigumcnis loi ilc
cllaccmcni ol all supci-scnsual divcisiiy oi vaiiciy in Absoluic Tiuil ialc lold ol
us. Tlc lunciion ol ilc spiiii is cloggcd and oui minds iun alici woildly
cnjoymcni. Tlc maiciialiscd mind ilinls ilai scnsual cnjoymcni is obiaincd ai
Kisna's lcci. lui ai ilc lcci ol Kisna cvciyiling is spiiiiual and so noi an objcci loi
ilc giaiilicaiion ol oui scnscs. Wlcn iiuil is obscuicd in us caiiicd away by
cgoiisiic icndcncics, wc ialc ilings maiciial as ol ilc spiiii.
Kisna is bliss. In Him dwclls pcilcci joy-Hc is ilc cmbodimcni ol ii. Scnsual
lnowlcdgc oi joy is noi pcilcci;-ilcicin all oui longings aic noi icaliscd. Undci
ilc spcll ol scnsc pciccpiions wc imaginc ilai ilcic migli bc unalloycd lappincss
in cgo-woislip oi in ilc haívaIya siaic ol Paianjali.
All sccling alici joy is ilc lunciion ol ilc soul. Wlcn ilc dcsiic loi joy walcs up
in oui minds wc commii a blundci in iunning alici woildly objccis and
cnjoymcni. Ii is only wlcn wc icccivc a spiiiiual sigli ol Kisna ilai wc undcisiand
ilai His scivicc musi, ol ncccssiiy, bc ilc solc aim in lilc. As long as wc ilus
lanlci alici oui own plcasuics wc iiy io cnjoy ilc woild iliougl ilc scnscs and
aic givcn io lollow aigumcniaiion. lui ilis woild is noi madc loi oui cnjoymcni.
Wlcn spiiiiual bliss will appcai in us lilc ilc inccssani llow ol oil ilcn slall wc bc
iiuly iicd io ilc lcci ol Kisna.
Sucl numciical vaiiciy as ilai ol onc, iwo and ilicc cxisis only in woildly
divcisiiy. Tlis divcisiiy acquiics a cciiain incxpicssiblc samcncss in ilc woild ol
spiiii. Tlcn wc can appicciaic ilai Kisna alonc is ilc cicinal Tiuil Absoluic.
Wlcn ilc vciy cxisicncc ol Tiuil and scnsicncy in oui own sclvcs bccomcs solcly
iclaiivc io Him only ilcn wc aic csiablislcd in oui ical noimal siaic.
Ai picscni many lalsc mcanings lavc bccn impoiicd inio ilc woid dcvoiion.`
Rcgaid loi onc's paicnis, loyaliy io man, obcdicncc io ilc icaclci, cic., pass as
bnahtí. lui ilc iooi ºbnaj¨ mcans io scivc.` Il wc do noi clcaily judgc as io wlai
musi bc ilc mcdium ol ilai scivicc ilcn ii is suic io bc misapplicd. As Caítanya-
canáramrta sings:
haIan haIír baIína ínáríya-vaírí-vargan
srí-bnahtí-marga ína hantaha hotí-ruáánan
na na hva yamí víhaIan hím anam haromí
caítanya-canára` yaáí naáya hrpam harosí
°This is fhe quarreIIing age. The senses, which are our enemies, are now very
powerfuI; and crores of fhorns choke fhe pafh of pure bhahtí. I am quife af a Ioss
fo know whaf I shaII do or where I shaII go unIess Caifanya Candra shows
mercy unfo me.`
Wc livc in ilc Kali-yuga-ilis is an agc ol siiilc. So ii lappcns ilai ilc scll-
luminous pail ol puic dcvoiion is complcicly covcicd up wiil millions ol iloins
in ilc slapc ol loolisl aigumcniaiions and woidy wianglings. In ilcsc
ciicumsianccs ii is absoluicly impossiblc io lavc ilc lnowlcdgc ol puic dcvoiion
wiiloui ilc mcicy ol Caiianya Candia. Siï Caiianya Candia is Kisna Himscll. Hc is
ilc Godlcad. Wc cannoi lnow God by ilc cxciiions ol oui scnscs. As ilc Katna
Lpanísaá says:
nayamatma pravacancna Iabnyo
na mcánaya na banuna srutcna
yam cvaísa vrnutc tcna Iabnyas
tasyaísa atma vrnutc tanum svam
°The knowIedge abouf fhe aII-embracing OversouI cannof be affained eifher
fhrough reasoning, argumenfafions or hearing fhe Vedas; onIy fo him does He
manifesf His person whom He accepfs.`
Godlcad is cicinal. Wc cannoi aiiain io Him unlcss wc icalisc Hc is bliss Himscll.
Onc conlincd wiilin lis psyclic iangc in a lundicd ways cannoi lnow wlai God
is and so acccpis ilings oilci ilan God as objccis ol lis woislip. Unablc io
undcisiand ilc iiuc subjcci and objcci ol cnjoymcni, as wcll as ilc naiuic ol
cnjoymcni iiscll, lc imagincs ilc woild as cicaicd io alloid lim cvciy lind ol
plcasuic. Tlis maiciialiscd mind siiivcs only alici scllisl cnjoymcni. ly ilis
llcslly loim wc cannoi scivc Kisna. Ii is possiblc only in spiiii. Tlc aiomic ilcoiy
ol ilc woild lnows noiling ol ilai scivicc.
In ilc vaiiciy ol His manilcsiaiions, Absoluic Tiuil Himscll is io bc dcicimincd
liom Naiayana. In Kisna cxisis Naiayana, Wlo is His Majcsiic loim. laladcva is
ilc manilcsiaiion ol His Scll. Hc is ilc all-pcivading Ovcisoul. Wiil ilc icvclaiion
ol ilc lunciion ol supicmc lnowlcdgc in oui soul, wc comc io lnow ilai Kisna is
ilc Absoluic Tiuil. Hc is also pcilcci bliss, icvcicncc docs noi siand in His way.
Iniimaic scivicc cannoi bc icndcicd il onc is aciuaicd by icvcicncc. Yci Kisna is
ilc cicinal objcci ol ilc dcvoiccs' wlolc-lcaiicd scivicc. lui Hc is io bc scivcd
wiil ilc cvci-cxisicni scnscs ol ilc soul. Wc cannoi scivc Him iliougl
imaginaiion oi scniimcni. Supci-scnsuous lnowlcdgc ol oui iclaiion wiil Him is
csscniial. Tlcic is nobody wlom I can call my own cxccpi onc wlo is solcly
dcvoicd io Kisna. Kisna alonc is ilc onc objcci ol my scivicc. Tlis laiil is ilc onc
gloiy ol ilc Vaisnava. Tlis is ilc supicmc ncccssiiy ol lilc. Maiciial lamc lull ol
ilc idca ol scllisl cnjoymcni is ncvci dcsiiablc.
Timc is iunning sloii. Tlc iimc loi ilc cvcning wavc-ollciing ccicmony is
diawing nigl. I musi no longci cncioacl upon youi iimc ol scivicc. Il ii bc Kisna's
wisl I slall again iiy io scivc you. A ilousand obcisanccs ai ilc lcci ol ilc
dcvoiccs ol Kisna.