Page 12 - THE FOURTH DIMENSION

Lord Krishna declares:

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ / bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ / yena mām upayānti te

“To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come
to Me.” (Bg 10.10)

Spiritual knowledge is present in the heart of the devotee where Lord Krishna is seated as Paramatma, the
Supersoul. From Him come knowledge, remembrance and forgetfulness. The Lord dwells in the heart of the
devotee and all living entities as the witness. When a devotee makes a serious effort to hear submissively the
glories of the Lord, Krishna takes special interest to help the devotee to always remain engaged in devotional
service. By such service, the Lord opens the doors of knowledge from within the heart of the devotee who
remembers that he is the Lord’s eternal servant.
Academic knowledge is based on imperfect observation and speculation. Such academic endeavors will never
result in understanding the Supreme Absolute Truth. Humble service and attentive and regular hearing of the
messages of Lord Krishna will result in clear understanding of spiritual reality. Lord Krishna declares:

śraddhāvāḻ labhate jñānaṁ / tat-paraḥ saṁyatendriyaḥ
jñānaṁ labdhvā parāṁ śāntim / acireṇādhigacchati

“A faithful man who is dedicated to transcendental knowledge and who subdues his senses is eligible to achieve
such knowledge, and having achieved it he quickly attains the supreme spiritual peace.” (Bg 4.39)

All endeavors begin with a modicum of faith that one’s work may succeed. If a person decides to dedicate his
service for the pleasure of Lord Krishna, he can attain perfection in this life. The two pronged approach of serving
the Lord and chanting the holy mantra Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare
Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare will cleanse the heart of all material desires and replace them with pure spiritual
desires. By constant service one also develops the ability to control the senses and the flickering mind. The
devotee who is fully engaged in transcendental loving service of the Lord finds satisfaction in himself by the gift
of spiritual knowledge and discovery of the Lord within his heart. He cultivates his relationship with the Lord as
a gardener cultivates his healthy plants with care and attention to every detail of his work.

The devotee gradually loses all interest in sense gratification and selfish activities for profit, distinction and
adoration which are the concomitant effects of sex desire. To become an attractive sexual partner one may seek
wealth. An added advantage to wealth is distinction such as bodily attractiveness, expensive clothes and jewelry,
knowledge, awards, fame, power, renunciation, etc. Eventually one may desire adoration which is coveted by
politicians, dictators, celebrities in sports, entertainment, academia, and other disciplines in which people excel.

The obsession for sex pleasure is prominent with most materialists, who are obsessed by self-indulgence. In
spiritual life, control of the sex impulse and other sensual activities is necessary for peace of mind and focus on
the goal of life. The great Sri Vaisnava saint, Sri Yamunacarya, has written: “Since I have been engaged in the
transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa, realizing ever-new pleasure in Him, whenever I think of sex pleasure I
spit at the thought, and my lips curl with distaste.” Lord Krishna blesses his sincere devotee absorbed in
devotional service to lose his attraction and predilection for material sense pleasures. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada has commented:

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