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The last few days we have been studying Bhagavad-gita. Let us just consider, for a moment, how wonderful Bhagavad-gita is. Arjuna is having a long conversation with Kṛṣṇa on the battlefield of Kuruksetra; he is face-to-face with God. Is there anything so wonderful in any of the other scriptures of the world? Just stop and consider.

For example, in the Bible there are a few descriptions of encounters with God, but there is always some kind of medium, a burning bush or smoke, the conversation is sketchy and God seems far away. Even the night in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus prayed so intensely that he is described as sweating blood, is described only in summary; the disciples who should have recorded every word were, incredibly, asleep.

But in Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna is having an elaborate philosophical discussion directly with Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, seated in his chariot as the driver. This sacred conversation covers the entire range of Vedic philosophy and yoga practice in just 700 simple Sanskrit slokas. And although the narrator of Bhagavad-gita, Sanjaya, is miles away in Hastinapur, he reports the conversation in complete detail. Every word is recorded. This is a truly remarkable example of Vedic spiritual technology.

Even more amazing, just as Bhagavad-gita is only one section of the much larger work Mahabharata, Arjuna’s discussion with Kṛṣṇa in the chariot is only one out of many encounters they had during a lifelong, intimate friendship. And Arjuna was not the only one to have a close relationship with Kṛṣṇa; the scriptures of the Esoteric Teaching recount the stories of many exalted devotees in many different relationships with Kṛṣṇa.

All told, Bhagavad-gita contains more information about God, relationships with God and the actual words of God than all the other scriptures of the world combined. And the Bhagavad-gita is only a small, introductory portion of the Esoteric Teaching.

The Esoteric Teaching not only records the stories of these exalted devotees and their pastimes with Kṛṣṇa; it also tells us how we can attain the same elevated state of consciousness. The Esoteric Teaching gives step-by-step instructions how we too can come face-to-face with Kṛṣṇa and join Him and His eternal associates in eternal, exciting, blissful adventures in the spiritual world.

adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango 'tha bhajana-kriya
tato 'nartha-nivrttih syat tato nistha rucis tatah
athasaktis tato bhavas tatah premabhyudancati
sadhakanam ayam premnah pradurbhave bhavet kramah.

“In the beginning one must have a preliminary desire for self-realization. This will bring one to the stage of trying to associate with persons who are spiritually elevated. In next stage one becomes initiated by an elevated spiritual master, and under his instruction the neophyte devotee begins the process of devotional service. By execution of devotional service under the guidance of the spiritual master, one becomes free from all material attachment, attains steadiness in self-realization, and acquires a taste for hearing about the Absolute Personality of Godhead, Sri Kṛṣṇa. This taste leads one further forward to attachment for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which is matured in bhava, or the preliminary stage of transcendental love of God. Real love for God is called prema, the highest perfectional stage of life.” [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.4.15]

According to this very important sloka by Srila Rupa Gosvami, the ontological architect of the Esoteric Teaching, the nine stages of the spiritual path of the Esoteric Teaching are as follows:

1. Sraddha—preliminary faith
2. Sadhu-sanga—association with the community of devotees
3. Bhajana-kriya—accepting initiation and performing bhakti-sadhana under the direction of the spiritual Master Teacher
4. Anartha-nivrtti—cessation of unwanted desires and activities, freedom from material attachment
5. Nistha—steadiness in service and self-realization
6. Ruci—taste for hearing about Kṛṣṇa
7. Asakti—attachment for Kṛṣṇa consciousness
8. Bhava—transcendental emotion, the preliminary stage of love of God
9. Prema—pure love of Godhead, the highest perfectional stage of life

Everyone goes through these nine stages; they are mileposts on the way from material conditioned consciousness to pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The first stage is to develop preliminary faith in the message of the Esoteric Teaching. Without faith we cannot do anything. Even to cross the street requires faith. But faith is only preliminary to the actual path of the Esoteric Teaching.

The real path begins from association with devotees. The pastimes of Kṛṣṇa can be properly received only from devotees. If one has developed a little bit of Kṛṣṇa consciousness by hearing from Vaiṣṇavas about the activities of Kṛṣṇa, then one naturally wants to associate with Vaiṣṇavas who are interested only in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

One can associate through a book or a podcast like this one, but the best kind of association is face-to-face, personal association. Therefore we strongly encourage our students to form small groups among their friends to study and practice the Esoteric Teaching together in your homes. We will provide all the directions and materials you need to manage such a group; all you need is some faith and sincerity, and the desire to advance on the path of the Esoteric Teaching.

‘sadhu-sanga’, ‘sadhu-sanga’—sarva-sastre kaya
lava-matra sadhu-sange sarva-siddhi haya

“The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment's association with a pure devotee, one can attain all spiritual success.” [Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 22.54]

satam prasangan mama virya-samvido
bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah
taj-josanad asv apavarga-vartmani
sraddha ratir bhaktir anukramisyati

“In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating such knowledge one gradually becomes advanced on the path of liberation, and thereafter he is freed from undesirable material qualities, and his attraction becomes fixed. Then real devotion and devotional service begin.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.25]

By gradual advancement on the path of the Esoteric Teaching, one recovers one’s latent transcendental relationship with Kṛṣṇa. The end result of this cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is that one gets to live on the same spiritual planet with Kṛṣṇa, in a perfect, eternal spiritual body full of spiritual consciousness, knowledge and bliss.

The successful devotee regains his eternal position in relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and gets to see Kṛṣṇa face-to-face every single day. This position is sought after with great perseverance and effort by all the great sages and demigods.

sa va ayam brahma mahad-vimrgya-
kaivalya-nirvana-sukhanubhutih
priyah suhrd vah khalu matuleya
atmarhaniyo vidhi-krd gurus ca

“How wonderful it is that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Parabrahman, Kṛṣṇa, who is sought by great, great sages for the sake of liberation and transcendental bliss, is acting as your best well-wisher, your friend, your cousin, your heart and soul, your worshipable director, and your spiritual master.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.15.76]

Even the demigods in the heavenly planets desire to take birth in the form of a human being, because a human body on the earth planet provides the best opportunity to understand spiritual life.

ye ’bhyarthitam api ca no nr-gatim prapanna
jnanam ca tattva-visayam saha-dharmam yatra
naradhanam bhagavato vitaranty amusya
sammohita vitataya bata mayaya te

“Lord Brahma said: ‘My dear demigods, the human form of life is of such importance that we demigods also desire to have such life, for in the human form one can attain perfect religious truth and knowledge. If one in this human form of life does not understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His abode, it is to be understood that he is very much affected by the influence of the external energy of material nature.’ ” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.15.24]

The conclusion is that we should not hesitate to take advantage of the spiritual opportunity afforded by the human form of life, and take up the sincere study and practice of the Esoteric Teaching without delay. By doing this we hasten the day when we also shall see Kṛṣṇa face-to-face.

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