"That concocted, selfish figure within us is our enemy. The real self is hopelessly buried beneath the false ego. So great is the depth of our forgetfulness that we do not even know who we are." bBy Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev Goswami Maharaja
Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj 
Srila Sridhar Maharaja Infinite Blissfulness This is Vaisnavism. If we can do this, then in no time, our disease will be cured, and we’ll be in the midst of infinite blissfulness. Our tendency at present is to cure what we see on the outside. We think, “I want everything to follow my control, my sweet will. When everything obeys me, then I will be happy.” But we must take just the opposite attitude. As Mahaprabhu has said:
trinad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih
We should create no resistance against our environment. Still, if some undesirable things come towards us, we should tolerate that with our utmost patience. And even if someone attacks us we won’t become violent; we must practice forbearance to the extreme. We shall honor everyone; we will seek no honor. Goloka Vrindavan In this way, with the least amount of energy and time we can attain the highest goal: the plane where Krsna Himself is living. That is the most fundamental plane of existence. At that time, all the encasements covering the soul will vanish and die, and the inner soul will awaken and find that he is playing in a sweet wave, dancing and merry-making in Vrndavana, with Krsna and his devotees. And what is Vrndavana? It is neither a fable, nor a concocted story.
Sri Krishna Reality The Beautyful
The broadest and widest plane of the whole universe is beauty, sweetness, and blissfulness, and that is present in Vrndavana in all its fullness. We have to dive deep into that plane of reality. Our ego has floated us on the surface of trouble in maya, illusion. Concoction, and the search for selfish satisfaction have taken us here, and these must be dissolved once and for all. And then from within, our golden selves will comeout, and we will find that we are in the plane of a happy dancing mood, with Krsna in Vrndavana. Hegel’s “Self-Determination” Hegel In Hegelian language, this is called “self-determination.” Self-determination means we must die to live. We must leave our material life and all our material habits; we have to die as we are if we want to have a real life. We must give up our false ego. Our material habits from different births are collected in the ego in subtle forms, not only from the experience of human birth, but even from animal births, tree births, and so many other births. Krsna consciousness means the wholesale dissolution of the false ego. That concocted, selfish figure within us is our enemy. The real self is hopelessly buried beneath the false ego. So great is the depth of our forgetfulness that we do not even know who we are. So, as the German philosopher Hegel said, we have to “die to live.”
Krishna and Balaram stealing butter
We are not meant to exploit this World Reality is for itself and by itself. The world is not created for our selfish end; it has a universal end, and we are part and parcel of that. We must come to an understanding with the whole. The complete whole is Krsna and he is dancing, playing, and singing in his own way. We must enter into that harmonious dance. Being infinitesimal, should we think that the infinite must be controlled by us? That by our whim everything will go on? This is the most crooked, heinous object ever conceived, and we are suffering from such a disease. This is the real problem in society. Our inquiry should be aimed at solving this.
Student: Does this mean we have to give up material life completely?
Srila Sridhara Maharaja: Not at once. Everyone must progress gradually, according to his own particular case. If one who has much affinity towards worldly life suddenly leaves that, he may not keep up his vows; he may go down again. So, according to personal capacity we must make gradual progress. That is to be taken into consideration, but still, we should always be eager to give up everything and devote ourselves exclusively to the highest duty. Those who have enough courage will jump into the unknown, thinking, “Krsna will protect me, I am jumping in the name of God. He is everywhere; He will take me on His lap.” With this idea, one who has real eagerness for the truth may leap forward.
Student: I have a problem. For ten years I’ve tried to take up this process. Forten years, I have kept from eating meat, fish, and eggs. I avoid material things – I have no attraction for them. I have left all this behind. But there is one thing I want to give up and also I don’t want to give up. This is ganja (marijuana).
Srila Sridhara Maharaja: That is a small thing. There are three real difficulties: the first is women, the second is money, and the third, good name and fame. These three are our enemies. Marijuana intoxication is a small thing. Anyone can give it up easily. But these three things are the fundamental aspiration of every animal, tree, bird, man, or god. These three are everywhere. But intoxication and other fleeting habits are very negligible things and can be conquered very easily. As we have gradually come into the habit of intoxication, we have to come out; gradually, and not suddenly. Just after World War Two, we read in the newspaper that Goering, Hitler’s air general, was habituated to taking much intoxication. But when he was put into jail, no intoxication was supplied to him. He became sick, but treatment went on and he was cured. His disease was cured by the medicine. We also have seen so many opium-eaters who came here, joined the temple, and gradually left their habit. Many so-called “sadhus” smoke marijuana. It helps concentration, but that is the material mind. It disturbs faith. It is an enemy to faith. No material intoxication, but only faith can take us to our desired goal.
Sinful life is 100% detrimental for spiritual advancement
The misguided souls think that marijuana, hashish, and so many other things can help us in our meditation. It may do something, but that is mundane and that will frustrate us in our time of need. These things cannot help us rise up very high. Sex, Dope, and Gold Srimad Bhagavatam (1.17.38) advises that these five things should be rejected:
dyutam: gambling, or diplomacy;
panam: intoxication, including tea, coffee, betel, and everything else;
striyah: unlawful, illegal woman love;
suna: butchering,
Transaction of gold. Trade in gold makes one very apathetic towards progress in the line of faith.
These five are very tempting. What to speak of the mania that intoxication will help us in our meditation upon the transcendental, Devarsi Narada says, yamadibir yoga-pathaih kama- lobhahato muhuh: even what we acquire by meditation is temporary and has no permanent effect. Only real faith in the line of pure devotion can help us. Saints: Living Scriptures
Student: So, how can we develop our faith in Krsna consciousness?
Srila Sridhara Maharaja: How have you come to conceive of Krsna consciousness?
Student: By reading Bhagavad-gita.
Srila Sridhara Maharaja: Bhagavad-gita. From the scriptures. And the scriptures are written by whom? Some saint. So, the association of saints and the advice of scriptures are both necessary. The saint is the living scripture, and the scripture advises us in a passive way. A saint can actively approach us, and passively we may receive benefit from the scriptures. Associating with Vaishnava saints The association of the scriptures and the saints can help us achieve the ultimate realization: sadhu sastra krpaya haya. The saints are more powerful. Those who are living the life of the scriptural advice are scripture personified. In their association, and by their grace, we can imbibe such higher, subtle knowledge and faith. All our experiences are futile in the attempt to attain the ultimate destination; only faith can lead us there.
Associating with Vaishnava saints
The spiritual world is far, far beyond the jurisdiction of our limited visual, aural, and mental experience. The experience of the eye, ear, and mind is very meager and limited, but faith can rise up and pierce through this area, and enter the transcendental realm. Faith should be developed with the help of scriptures and saints. They will help us understand that the spiritual world is real and this world is unreal. At that time, this material world will be night to us, and that will be day. Presently, the eternal world is darkness to us, and we are awake in this mortal world. What is night to one is day to another. A saint is awake in some matter, and a dacoit is working in another plane. They are living in two separate worlds. A scientist is living in one world; a rowdy is living in another. One’s day is night to another. The ordinary persons cannot see what Einstein and Newton have seen, and what the ordinary man sees is ignored by a great man. So, we have to awaken our interest in that plane, and ignore the interests of this plane.
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