Letter # 4: "Beyond Goodness, Passion and Ignorance"

The Sanskrit verse 'Yatra yatra harer arca..." of the Srimad Bhagavatum C7, Ch14, Text 29 means 'Auspicious indeed are the places where there is a temple of the Supreme Personality of Godhead...'
Auspicious means 'promising a good outcome'. We all appreciate goodness. We also that 'the good suffer'. So where is peace? Is it beyond 'goodness'?
According to the Vedic creation story, the creative force is spirit and is all bliss. It cannot be appreciated with our ordinary senses - it is hidden or 'Gupta'. It is personified as Lord Krishna. His place of residence is all pervading, and is called Vaikuntha. Since spirit is eternal, it needs no creation. Only the material requires creation. Krishna was in a transcendent meditation mode with eyes half open and half closed when He began creation. The first things to be created were the qualities that the material creation would have. These qualities are called the 'three modes' of nature - of goodness, passion and ignorance. Then was created the False Ego (Ahankara). The False Ego and all the living entities and the rest of the material elements that were to follow were to be subject to the three modes. Only God knows why - it his his prerogative, his 'Lila', or pastime. Since the Vaikuntha is all pervading, and Krishna lives in Vaikuntha, He is all pervasive. He pervades all matter and life forms through the Supersoul (Parmatma). That is why we would want to respect all life forms, for they all are endowed with the Parmatma or Supersoul quality. Not being visible, Parmatma is only appreciated through the eyes of devotion.
In Vedic terms, the forest is in the mode of goodness. Those of you who like walks in the forest or nature can appreciate the soothing effects of that goodness. The cities and villages are in the mode of passion. Here we are busy working, producing passionately, and generally benefitting from the work. Often, we need to get away from all the hard work. Brothels, opium dens and casinos are examples of the places in the mode of ignorance for they are destructive to harmony in the family and community. However, the place of worship of the Supreme - e.g. the temples, no matter how big or tiny, or meditational states 'Samadhi', are all pockets of Vaikuntha. When one is in these places one is in Vaikuntha. Those are states that are beyond (transcendent to) the three modes of nature. That is where 'non-suffering' is. That is the place of Vaikuntha or bliss.
For those of Judeo-Christian backgrounds see Deuteronomy 4:29: ' ...seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.'
Think about it.


God Bless; Allah Hu Akbar; May The Forces Of The Universe Bring You Harmony; Hare Krishna; Radha-Swami; and Nanak Naam Chardi Kala Tere Bhane Sarbat Dha Bhalla.

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Jas Bhopal
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“Practicing goodwill makes for a good life."
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References: "The Holy Bible" Online version; "The Koran" as translated by SV Mir Ahmed Ali 2005 ISBN 0-9761870-0-0); "The Bhagavad Gita As it Is" as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN 0-89213-268-X; The Srimad Bhagavatum as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN0-89213-259-0; "I Am That. Talks With Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj” ISBN 0-89386-022-0; The Dhammapada ISBN-10:1-84483-344-5; The Sacred Sukhmani ISBN 81-7205-098-4; Wikipedia.