Category:Achieving Liberation
Theme Analysis
Śrīla Prabhupāda presents liberation not as the ultimate goal of life, but as a natural byproduct of pure devotional service. While philosophers and yogīs perform severe austerities to escape material bondage, a devotee achieves this freedom effortlessly by re-establishing their eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord.
- The Byproduct of Bhakti: One who is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord is already considered liberated, as devotional service automatically includes the results of all other yoga systems.
- The Power of the Holy Name: The chanting of the holy name is so potent that even accidental or offensive chanting can liberate a soul from the cycle of birth and death, as seen in the history of Ajamila.
- Varieties of Liberation: Beyond the impersonalist's goal of merging into the existence of the Absolute, there are personal forms of liberation such as gaining the same bodily features or residing on the same planet as the Lord.
- Rejection of Merging: Pure devotees actively reject the liberation of merging into the Brahman effulgence (sayujya-mukti), preferring instead to retain their individuality to serve Kṛṣṇa.
- Inimical Absorption: Even those who constantly think of the Lord with hostility, such as demons killed by Him, achieve liberation due to their absorption in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
- Association of Mahatmas: Liberation is accessible through the association of pure devotees, whose mercy opens the door to the spiritual world more effectively than independent endeavor.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Achieving Liberation from Material Bondage through Kṛṣṇa Consciousness.
Pages in category "Achieving Liberation"
The following 86 pages are in this category, out of 86 total.
A
- A nondevotee cannot believe that simply by thinking of one person, one can achieve liberation from this material world and go back home, back to Godhead. But this is a fact
- A person who gives up all fruitive activities and offers himself entirely unto Me (God), eagerly desiring to render service unto Me, achieves liberation from birth and death and is promoted to the status of sharing My own opulences
- A person who is able to attain this transcendental qualification is called jivan-mukta, liberated, even though he is apparently in material conditions. This liberation is achieved by one who constantly engages in the transcendental loving service of God
- Ajamila achieved liberation simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord. Therefore, what is to be said of those who are not sinful like Ajamila
- Ajamila, for example, was extremely sinful, but while dying he merely chanted the holy name, and although calling his son, he achieved complete liberation because he remembered the name of Narayana
- Among many thousands who desire liberation, one may actually achieve liberation, giving up material attachment to society, friendship, love, country, home, wife and children
- Another devotee once exclaimed, "Although I can achieve liberation simply by serving the devotees, my mind is still very much anxious to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose bodily complexion is just like a dark cloud"
- Any kind of liberation cannot be achieved without tapasya. That is the verdict of all Vedic literature
- As far as Paundraka was concerned, somehow or other he always thought of Lord Vasudeva by falsely dressing himself in imitation of the Lord, therefore he achieved one of the five kinds of liberation
- At the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is also stated that without devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot achieve liberation from the bondage of fruitive activities
B
- Bhakti-yoga includes jnana-yoga, or, in other words, the process of pure devotional service simultaneously serves the purpose of jnana-yoga; liberation from material conditions is automatically achieved by gradual development of pure devotional service
- Brahman realization is the beginning of liberation, and Paramatma realization is still further advancement toward the realm of liberation, but one achieves real liberation when he understands his position as an eternal servant of the SP of Godhead
- By acting in that way, he achieved the greatest success in material happiness and afterwards achieved liberation, which is impossible to obtain by worshiping the demigods
- By advancement of knowledge, one can achieve liberation and the ultimate goal of life. It is said that if one takes to the path of liberation, even rejecting his so-called duties in the material world, he is not a loser at all
- By executing religious rituals one can achieve economic development, sense gratification or liberation (merging into the existence of the Supreme), but the results of transcendental devotional service are completely different from such temporary benefits
- By the grace of Krsna only, everyone is engaged in the practice of religion, the development of economic conditions, the satisfaction of the senses and, ultimately, the achievement of liberation from material bondage
- By the grace of Krsna, Devayani gave up her imaginary position in the material world. Completely fixing her mind upon Krsna, she achieved liberation from the gross and subtle bodies
F
- Females are not meant for the renounced order of life; they should be faithful to their good husbands, for if a husband is competent for liberation, his wife will also achieve liberation with him
- For a devotee who enjoys the transcendental bliss of devotional service, liberation is most insignificant. Therefore pure devotees never desire to achieve liberation
- For a devotee, to get liberation is not very difficult. Even one who is unable to establish a relationship with Krsna can achieve liberation by merging into the Brahman effulgence. This is called sayujya-mukti
- For a higher cause He (Lord Caitanya) took sannyasa and was steady in the discharge of higher duties. That is the way of achieving liberation from material bondage. BG 1972 purports
H
- Having achieved the liberation of sarupya and thus having the same bodily features as the Lord, Uddhava looked almost like Krsna
- He (Maharaja Khatvanga) was successful in his great attempt and achieved liberation. This attempt, even for a moment, by the saintly king, was successful because he was always alert to his prime duty
- He spoke to His mother about self-realization, by which, in that very lifetime, she became fully cleansed of the mud of the material modes and thereby achieved liberation, the path of Kapila
- Hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam spoken by a professional reciter cannot actually help us achieve liberation. Krsna-katha is very simple
- How liberation is imperceptibly achieved by a pure devotee and what the symptoms are have been explained - in SB 3.25.39-40
I
- If one is engaged in pure transcendental loving service to the Lord, it is understood that he has already achieved the five kinds of liberation
- If one works piously one may be elevated to the higher planetary systems or achieve liberation and return home, back to Godhead, but otherwise one may be degraded to a life as a dog, a hog and so on
- In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.256), markata-vairagya, or phalgu-vairagya, is explained as follows: When persons eager to achieve liberation renounce things related to the SP of G, thinking them to be material, their renunciation is called incomplete
- In this verse (SB 7.15.2) the words anantyam icchata refer to persons who desire to achieve liberation from material bondage and merge into the existence of the Lord
- It has been decided that among human beings Babhru is the best and that Devavrdha is equal to the demigods. Because of the association of Babhru and Devavrdha, all of their descendants, numbering 14,065, achieved liberation
L
- Liberation is not a very great achievement for a devotee, to say nothing of the results of ritualistic performances in religion, economic development or the materialistic life of sense gratification. Devotees do not care for these
- Lord Siva says to Sati, "My dear Sati, if one is a very fine philosopher, analyzing the different processes of knowledge, he can achieve liberation from the material entanglement"
M
- Ma means mrtyu, or death. When one attempts to nullify these five different statuses of life - pa, pha, ba, bha and ma - one achieves apavarga, or liberation from the punishment of material existence
- Manusyanam sahasresu: out of many thousands of persons, one may endeavor for liberation, and of many thousands of persons attempting to become liberated, one may achieve liberation from the anxieties of material existence and become self-satisfied
- Move The Mayavadis imagine that one can think of the lotus feet of Lord Siva or Lord Brahma or the goddess Durga to achieve liberation, but this is not so
- My (God's) devotees, who are always satisfied to be engaged in My loving service, are not interested even in the four principles of liberation (salokya, sarupya, samipya and sarsti), although these are automatically achieved by their service
O
- One can achieve liberation if one hears the holy name of the Lord constantly, every day with great respect
- One who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord (Krsna), which are accepted as the most suitable boat for crossing the ocean of nescience, can achieve liberation as easily as one leaps over the holes made by the hoofs of a calf
- One who is beyond duality and doubt, whose mind is engaged within, who is always busy working for the welfare of all sentient beings, and who is free from all sins, achieves liberation in the Supreme. BG 5.25 - 1972
- One's aim should be to achieve liberation, but because one cannot at once give up sense gratification, in the sastras there are injunctions prescribing how to follow the principles of religion, economic development and sense gratification
- One's main purpose in human life should be to purify his existence and achieve liberation
R
- Rantideva is confirmed herein (in SB 9.21.18) to be a first-class devotee, or maha-bhagavata. Mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimukteh: (SB 5.5.2) one should render service to such mahatmas, for then one will automatically achieve the goal of liberation
- Renunciation by persons eager to achieve liberation of things which are related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, though they are material, is called incomplete renunciation. BG 1972 purports
S
- Smarta-brahmanas and Mayavadis do not believe that one can achieve liberation in this way (by chanting the holy name of the Lord), but the truth of Haridasa Thakura's statement is supported by many quotations from Srimad-Bhagavatam
- Some of the liberated persons who have achieved these four stages of liberation may also develop affection for Krsna and be promoted to the Goloka Vrndavana planet in the spiritual sky
- Srila Rupa Gosvami says in his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.256): "When persons eager to achieve liberation renounce things which are related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, though they are material, this is called incomplete renunciation"
- Srivatsa, for example, the hair on the chest of the Lord, particularly distinguishes Him (God) from His devotees - who have achieved sarupya liberation
- Such reciprocation of feelings (between God and Hid devotees) takes place in the transcendental Vaikuntha planets, and therefore the liberation sought by the impersonalists is already achieved in devotional service
T
- That advantage of re-engagement in our original, spiritual business is given freely in this age: kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet (SB 12.3.51) - Simply by chanting the Lord's holy name, one achieves spiritual liberation
- The devotee is already liberated. There is no need for him to aspire for different types of liberation. The pure devotee automatically achieves liberation, even without desiring it
- The devotees can achieve not only liberation but any success in the realm of religiosity, economic development or sense gratification up to the standard of the demigods in the heavenly planets
- The foremost process of cheating is to desire to achieve liberation by merging into the Supreme, for this causes the permanent disappearance of loving service to Krsna
- The highest achievement attained by the jnanis, or impersonalists, is becoming one with the Supreme, generally known as moksa, liberation
- The instructions of Lord Kapila to His mother Devahuti are fully described in the Third Canto (Chapters 25-32) of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, and anyone who follows the instructions can achieve the same liberation obtained by Devahuti
- The less intelligent are lazy and unable to evaluate the gift of the human body to achieve liberation from the material bondage; they become more interested in so-called economic development and work very hard throughout life
- The liberation they (the impersonalists and the yogis) achieve-merging into the impersonal brahmajyoti of the Lord-is only partial, and there is the risk of returning again to this material world. BG 1972 purports
- The living entity is liberated. His material contamination is temporary, and his actual position is that he is liberated. This liberation is achieved by Krsna consciousness
- The moksa-kami wants to achieve liberation by merging into the existence of the Supreme Brahman, and because of this desire to merge into the existence of the Lord, he is not yet pure
- The real purpose of human life is to attain liberation from material entanglement. Such liberation may be achieved by many methods, but all of them more or less depend on tapasya, austerity, which begins with celibacy
- The second question put by Pariksit Maharaja to Sukadeva Gosvami is very important: How can one ultimately become free from all contamination brought about by the material modes of nature? If one cannot achieve liberation, what is the use of atonement
- The transcendental region of that effulgence (brahma-jyotir) is called Siddhaloka or Brahmaloka. When impersonalists achieve liberation, they merge into that Brahmaloka effulgence
- The vaidurya diamond is especially meant for the Personality of Godhead, but one who achieves the liberation of bodily equality with the Lord is especially favored with such diamonds on his body
- There are two kinds of svadharmas, specific duties. As long as one is not liberated, one has to perform the duties of that particular body in accordance with religious principles in order to achieve liberation. BG 1972 purports
- There is no need to live as an elephant or man, American or Indian; one should desire only to achieve liberation from the cycle of birth and death
- There is one good opportunity - the association with devotees. Such association brings about great happiness. Due to this good quality, our strong desire to achieve liberation by merging into the Brahman effulgence has become weakened
- These (religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation) are not what is to be achieved in life, - He (Caitanya Mahaprabhu) said. The real goal of life is love of Krsna
- They (foolish politicians) stick to those posts even up to the last moment of life, without knowing that achievement of liberation as one of the associates of the Lord in His eternal abode is the highest gain of life
- This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita and here in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. That third-class devotees can also imperceptibly achieve liberation is accepted in all Vedic literatures
- This liberation (liberation of the living entities) is achieved by Krsna consciousness, which begins from the point of surrender. Therefore it is said here, I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Person
- Those fools & rascals who want to ascend to the upper planetary system by mystic power or mechanical means or who endeavor to cross even the upper planets & achieve the spiritual world or liberation I cause to be sent to the lowest region of the universe
- 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
- Those who are liberated from the bondage of conditioned life are elevated to the spiritual world, where they achieve five kinds of liberation - sayujya, salokya, sarupya, sarsti and samipya
- Those who have achieved liberation from material contamination, and those who are demons and are killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, become absorbed in the Brahman concept of life and reside in the spiritual sky of the brahma-jyoti
- To taste the fruit of devotional service in Goloka Vrndavana is the highest perfection of life, and in the presence of such perfection - religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation - are very insignificant achievements
V
- Vaisnavas know that simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord offenselessly, one achieves liberation as a by-product. Thus there is no need to endeavor separately for liberation
- Vaisnavas strictly follow the directions of the sastras regarding how one can be liberated simply by a slight awakening of pure chanting of the holy name. Mayavadis cannot tolerate the statements of the sastras about how easily liberation can be achieved
W
- When after liberation one is situated on the platform of prema-bhakti, one is said to have achieved vimukti, "special mukti." Therefore the word na is mentioned
- When we compare love of Godhead with religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation, we can understand that these achievements may be desirable objectives for bubhuksus, or those who desire to enjoy this material world
- When we compare love of Godhead with religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation, we can understand that these achievements may be desirable objectives for mumuksus, or those who desire liberation from this material world
- Without devotional service no one can attain liberation from the material clutches. Especially in this age, one can achieve the highest liberation simply by chanting Hare Krsna
- Without the surrendering process, one cannot achieve liberation