SELF-REALISED
Divinely empowered and absorbed in the spiritual dimension
Some people escape from the material world by being reclusive, others practice meditation to achieve peace, some engage in philosophical speculation to analyse the world, yogis perform severe austerities in mountain caves, and still others try to lose their individualities in nirvana. The ultimate process of self-realisation however is to understand that “I am a spiritual being” and that “I have an eternal relationship with the Supreme spiritual being”. Self-realisation is a state of pure consciousness freed from material conditioning in which the individual understands his real identity, the identity of the Supreme Lord, and engages in selfless, loving service to the Supreme.
Srila Prabhupada, one of the greatest self-realised masters of all time, was fully cognizant of his spiritual identity and acted on that platform. Therefore his life, mission and activities were completely dedicated to the service of the Supreme Lord. To observers it may have appeared that Srila Prabhupada slept, awoke, ate, travelled and spoke like the rest of us, yet his consciousness demonstrated his highly elevated position − he had complete faith in his mission, his elucidation of spiritual subject matters was illuminating, and his monumental achievements all over the world in just 12 years were unparalleled. Srila Prabhupada was able to produce phenomenal accomplishments only because he was on the highest state of self-realisation and therefore divinely empowered. Such self-realised souls in the world are rare.
A self-realised soul also has equal vision. Srila Prabhupada did not restrict his message to the Hindus. He saw everyone – whether they were Christian or Muslim or Jewish, black or white, American or Russian, man or woman, young or old – as spirit souls to whom external, temporary designations did not apply. He embodied the proclamation of the ancient scriptures that say “the humble sage by virtue of true knowledge sees all living entities with equal vision”. Not only did he see human beings equally, but understood the position of all living entities, humans, plants and animals, as spirit souls – wherever there is life, it is a symptom of the presence of the soul.
A self-realised soul is always internally meditative, a symptom of being absorbed in the activities of the spiritual dimension; as such Srila Prabhupada was deeply introspective. This is reflected in his deep scriptural commentaries, incisive analyses, powerful disseminations and contemporary analogies that rendered deep spiritual matters readily understandable to contemporary man.
Srila Prabhupada saw the world from a spiritual perspective and by his potency rapidly transformed the way other people envisioned the world. He was self-satisfied and self-enlightened. He made people re-examine their values, their lives and their goals, and as a result he changed them for the better. No other self-realised soul has transformed the consciousness of people to the degree that he has done.
Interested to learn more about Srila Prabhupada and Krishna Consciousness? You can explore our online resources, ask a question or visit a temple.
What is my real identity? Who is Krishna? What is bhakti yoga?
Read the books of Srila Prabhupada, one of the most prolific authors of commentaries on and translations of Vedic texts.