Letters

Is Brahman Broken?

Atman is Brahman. Why does the eternal essence incarnate parts of itself into the material world? Is it doing so because it wants to have sensory experiences? Have some pieces of itself broken off by mistake and yearn to return home? Is this a purification process it submits itself to? If the goal is to escape the wheel of karma, why was it created in the first place?

Ted Seastrom

Via the Internet

Our reply: The fundamental assumption of your questions doesn't agree with the philosophy of Krsna consciousness, or Gaudiya Vaisavism. Our philosophy is called acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, the "philosophy of the inconceivable oneness and difference" of God (Brahman or Parabrahman) and the jiva (individual soul) and the material world. While we agree that Brahman is one, on the authority of the Upaniads and other Vedic and Puraic texts we know that Brahman has energies. The jivas constitute one of those energies (technically called the taastha-sakti). Brahman and His energies are one and different simultaneously, the traditional analogy being the sun and the sunshine. Those who propose only oneness in Brahman are neglecting the many statements of the Vedic literature that speak of the eternal distinctions between Brahman, the jiva, and maya (the material energy).

The Upaniads say eko ’ham bahu syama prajayeya: [Brahman said], "Let me become many and produce offspring." Actually, we are co-eternal with God (Parabrahman), but it is stated this way (as if we were created at a certain time) for the understanding of our time-bound minds. Brahman, or God, is beyond time. The point is that God is ananda-maya (constituted of bliss), and He desires to exchange in rasa (spiritual relationships or "tastes") with an infinite number of souls. That's why we exist. We are eternally part of Him, but we have our individual identities as well. Krsna confirms this in the Bhagavad-gita (2.12) when He says to Arjuna, "Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be."

For some reason unknown and unknowable to us in our present condition, we long ago rejected God's invitation to have a loving relationship with Him. We seek our fulfillment in the material world. As long as we cling to the hope that we can be happy without God, we stay in the material world. Here our karma, rooted in our material desires, procures for us one body after another in a continual cycle of transmigration.

We in the Krsna consciousness movement practice bhakti-yoga to awaken our inherent love of God. When that love matures, we'll return to God, Krsna, and enter our eternal relationship with Him. For bhakti-yogis, or devotees, the proposal that perfection lies in realizing that we are in fact the one Brahman is an anathema. We want to awaken our eternal loving relationship with Brahman, Krsna, and we have plenty of support from unassailable Vedic teachings and teachers to encourage us in this endeavor.

We have many books that explain the philosophy of Krsna consciousness in detail, and we encourage you to take advantage of them for you edification and spiritual progress.

Enjoying Work

How can one remain Krsna conscious and do one's work? For me to do my work, I must enjoy it. But if I enjoy it, am I engaging in sense gratification? My field of work/study is jazz music.

Brennan Short

Via the Internet

Our reply: Enjoying your work is not sense gratification per se, especially if you can use your work in Krsna's service. If you can make music for preaching or for the enjoyment of devotees, that will remind you and others about Krsna, and that's devotional service.

That said, there is much to look out for. Generally the association and venues for this type of work are not conducive to spiritual life. So you have to be careful that your association encourages you to follow the four regulative principles (no meat-eating, no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling) and leads you to understand your true spiritual nature, rather than entangle you more and more deeply in material sense enjoyment.

Real enjoyment is eternal and comes from serving others. As a musician, you know that if the audience is happy with your work, that makes you happy as well. So if you can make Krsna happy with your work, then you will become happy by making that offering to Him. It is not necessarily the work itself that will make you happy in the long run but the offering of something that makes others deeply happy. And the person who can offer the most eternal reciprocation is Sri Krsna.

Music is an integral part of the Hare Krsna movement, so you can use your talents to promote the chanting of Hare Krsna and encourage others to do the same. Some devotee groups offer a fusion of modern and traditional music to bring others closer to Krsna.

Ultimately you have to prioritize your spiritual welfare and make choices that favor it. That may at times require sacrifice and tough decisions. There is more to life than work and immediate pleasure, and if a certain type of work does not allow you to achieve spiritual goals, you might have to set it aside for other things, which may offer less pleasure at first but greater pleasure in the long run. Try to consider the long-range goals you have and mold your life so that you can attain the highest, most lasting levels of knowledge, realization, and satisfaction. That is not available from mundane music or anything in the material world. It requires focus on the desire for a spiritual connection with Krsna.

The Quest for Joy

What is the right way to relax mind and body? I'm a physician. How to feel joy all the time?

Dr. Devesh Pathak

Via the Internet

Our reply: The only real way to feel joy all the time is to engage in loving service to Krsna. Everything in the material world will eventually dwindle and die. As a physician you certainly have firsthand experience that the body gets old, tired, sick, and eventually, despite the best medical care, dies.

Since the body is material, like every other combination of chemicals it has a "shelf life" and will come to an end in time. Lasting joy can never be found in that which by nature is temporary.

Since we are the spirit soul, we naturally seek eternal, lasting happiness, but that cannot be had interacting with matter. We must focus on having a relationship with that which is spiritual, and therefore eternal. That is Sri Krsna.

Reading Bhagavad-gita As It Is, by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, will give you much insight into the relationship between the soul and the body, and the soul and Krsna. Getting this knowledge will help you find the joy you are seeking.

Also, chanting the maha-mantra–Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare–with deep concentration will calm your mind, still your senses, and help you focus. This mantra can connect you directly to Krsna, who is identical to His name, and that connection alone will give you great joy. The mantra costs nothing, travels easy, and is always available, so by chanting, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.