Page 13 - THE FOURTH DIMENSION

The highest pleasure in terms of matter is sex pleasure. The whole world is moving under its spell, and a
materialist cannot work at all without this motivation. But a person engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness can work
with greater vigor without sex pleasure, which he avoids. That is the test in spiritual realization. Spiritual
realization and sex pleasure go ill together. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person is not attracted to any kind of sense
pleasure, due to his being a liberated soul. (Bg 5.21)

Lord Krishna’s most wonderful blessing is His spoken word. The Bhagavad-gita is His super-excellent treatise of
spiritual wisdom and morality. He instructed the whole world how to be liberated from the bodily conception
of life, which is the most perplexing misconception that obstructs people from engagement in spiritual life.
Bhaktivedanta Swami explains the process of ultimate emancipation from the cycle of birth and death.

“One who has a little faith in Bhagavad-gītā should learn Bhagavad-gītā from a devotee, because in the
beginning of the Fourth Chapter it is stated clearly that Bhagavad-gītā can be understood only by devotees; no
one else can perfectly understand the purpose of Bhagavad-gītā (Bg 4.3). One should therefore learn Bhagavad-
gītā from a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, not from mental speculators. This is a sign of faith. When one searches for a
devotee and fortunately gets a devotee’s association one actually begins to study and understand Bhagavad-
gītā. By advancement in the association of the devotee one is placed in devotional service, and this service dispels
all one’s misgivings about Kṛṣṇa, or God, and Kṛṣṇa’s activities, form, pastimes, name and other features. After
these misgivings have been perfectly cleared away, one becomes fixed in one’s study. Then one relishes the study
of Bhagavad-gītā and attains the state of feeling always Kṛṣṇa conscious. In the advanced stage, one falls
completely in love with Kṛṣṇa. This highest perfectional stage of life enables the devotee to be transferred to
Kṛṣṇa’s abode in the spiritual sky, Goloka Vṛndāvana, where the devotee becomes eternally happy.” (Bg 8.28 -
purport)

The following verses spoken by Lord Krishna demonstrate His preoccupation for helping all conditioned souls
suffering in this world of death. The Lord instructs:

“An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material
senses. O son of Kuntī, such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not delight in
them.” (Bg 5.22)

“Before giving up this present body, if one is able to tolerate the urges of the material senses and check the force
of desire and anger, he is well situated and is happy in this world.” (Bg 5.23)

“One whose happiness is within, who is active and rejoices within, and whose aim is inward is actually the perfect
mystic. He is liberated in the Supreme, and ultimately he attains the Supreme.” (Bg 5.24)

“Those who are beyond the dualities that arise from doubts, whose minds are engaged within, who are always
busy working for the welfare of all living beings and who are free from all sins achieve liberation in the Supreme.”
(Bg 5.25)

The devotee expunges the desires for temporary material pleasures replacing them with limitless desires to
please the Lord. This purified consciousness is called brahma-bhuta characterized by freedom from lamentation
and hankering, uninterrupted joyfulness and spiritual vision by seeing the presence of God in the hearts of all
living creatures. The cause of all mankind’s problems is forgetfulness of one’s eternal relationship with the Lord.
By Krishna conscious activities one becomes connected to the Lord with devotion and love. This is the status of
liberation even though one may still be in the material world. Lord Krishna describes such a liberated person:

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