Temporary and Eternal Benefits

Hare Krishna.

The success of the teachers of bodily exercises and of some mental peace techniques is further proof that people in general in this Kali Yuga are very much in the bodily consciousness.

Keeping the body and mind healthy is definitely good and one cant find fault in the purpose of these teachers. However, their teachings are also based on (at least make some reference to) Vedic literature, and hence the general mass of people can sometimes mistake them as being highly spiritual, though the people are not really aware of the science of the spirit (soul).

Disappointingly, these teachers do not make any serious attempt to let their followers know about the soul, and continue to focus on their propaganda of how to keep the body and mind healthy! Don't these teachers know about the supreme importance of the science of the soul?

With these stream of thoughts, the following questions arise : Are these teachers ignorant of the science of the soul? Or is it that they are aware but are afraid that if they preach the science of the soul, their own position will come under threat?

Any serious student of the Vedas knows that the Vedas talk about getting people out of the cycle of birth and death! Just keeping body and mind healthy is not going to get you out of this cycle. No matter how much you try, the body is going to die, get diseased, give old age pangs, and get a next birth. No matter what (new?) techniques you use, there is going to be misery in this world!

Does anyone have to tell us this? Don't we already know from our own lives? Isn't it the duty of these (so-called?) Vedic teachers to let people know these things? Shouldn't these teachers use their commanding position to awaken people from their slumber of spiritual ignorance? If they are not doing this, then can we really say that they are totally pure at heart?

Why are these teachers trying to convince people that there can actually be any happiness in this material world? Haven't they read the Bhagavad Gita where Krishna declares that this material world is "dukkhalayam, ashasvatam", i.e. a place of miseries and temporary?

As opposed to that, we can see how amazingly well ISKCON is serving everyone by serving Krishna (God) Himself! One can easily see that devotees of the Lord all very happy, with significantly less mental stress and anxieties, and always bubbling with enthusiasm. Because
of following a regulated life, they are quite away from diseases too. Of course, as long as one is in the material world, one has to suffer, no matter what you do...

The point is that even ISKCON followers get all the benefits that others promise. However, ISKCON provides more! It works on the spiritual platform! It nourishes spiritual development! It caters to the real need of the self (soul) apart from the needs of the body and mind.

And ultimately it takes us closer and closer to the real goal of life, liberation from the cycle of birth and death. In fact, it does more than that! It takes us closer and closer to attaining Love of God, in front of which, liberation is considered as an insignificant side-effect!

So, the choice is ours! Are we going to run after temporary bodily (and of the mind) benefits, or after eternal spiritual benefits?

Hare Krishna!

Your servant in Krishna Consciousness,
Abhijit.