Page 27 - THE FOURTH DIMENSION

Krishna is accepted as the supreme proprietor of everything and the cause of all causes. Nothing can exist
independent of the Lord who creates, maintains and reabsorbes everything at annihilation. All things material
and spiritual are made of His energies. With such vision, which develops from continual devotional service with
love and dedication, the devotee enters into an intimate personal relationship with Krishna. This state of
transcendental loving consciousness was described by Lord Caitanya:

“My dear Lord, O master of the universe, since I have directly seen You, my transcendental bliss has taken the
shape of a great ocean. Thus I regard the happiness derived from understanding impersonal Brahman to be like
the water contained in a calf’s hoofprint.” (CC Madhya 24.37)

The devotee remains staunchly engaged in devotional service and he is completely content relishing the
transcendental bliss of serving the Lord. Krishna has all-attractive features which transfix the mind of the
devotee on the beautiful vision of the Lord. Thus he tastes the nectar of Krishna consciousness at every moment.
Lord Brahma says:

“I worship the primeval Lord, Govinda, who is always seen by the devotee whose eyes are anointed with the pulp
of love. He is seen in His eternal form of Śyāmasundara, situated within the heart of the devotee.” (Brahma
Samhita 5.38)
When the mind of the devotee is cleansed of all misconceptions, doubts, anxieties, misgivings, misguided desires
for sense gratification, etc., the devotee becomes liberated to serve the Lord and tastes genuine happiness. The
following explanation describes this joyful freedom:

“After attainment of the brahma-bhūta stage of freedom from material conceptions, devotional service begins
by one’s hearing about the Lord. When one hears about the Supreme Lord, automatically the brahma-bhūta
stage develops, and material contamination – greediness and lust for sense enjoyment – disappears. As lust and
desires disappear from the heart of a devotee, he becomes more attached to the service of the Lord, and by such
attachment he becomes free from material contamination. In that state of life he can understand the Supreme
Lord. This is the statement of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also. After liberation the process of bhakti, or transcendental
service, continues. The Vedānta-sūtra (4.1.12) confirms this: ā-prāyaṇāt tatrāpi hi dṛṣṭam. This means that after
liberation the process of devotional service continues. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, real devotional liberation is
defined as the reinstatement of the living entity in his own identity, his own constitutional position. The
constitutional position is already explained: every living entity is a part-and-parcel fragmental portion of the
Supreme Lord. Therefore his constitutional position is to serve. After liberation, this service is never stopped.
Actual liberation is getting free from misconceptions of life.” (Bg 18.55 – purport)

When situated in his constitutional position as the eternal servant of Lord Krishna, the devotee experiences the
natural joy of spiritual life confirmed by the Vedanta Sutra (1.1.12): Ananda-mayo ‘bhyasat – is the natural
transcendental pleasure the soul experiences in contact with Lord Krishna, who is the reservoir of unlimited
auspicious qualities and is full of blissful joyfulness.

Lord Krishna validates this transcendental consciousness that is easily attained by the sincere devotee

yatroparamate cittaṁ / niruddhaṁ yoga-sevayā
yatra caivātmanātmānaṁ / paśyann ātmani tuṣyati

25