Hare Krsna,
In my recent readings of the scriptures, coincidentally I have come across detailed descriptions of the kinds of ignorance a conditioned living entity is subjected to. In our current lesson (CC Adi Chapter 1), five kinds of ignorance are described. They are
(1) accepting the body to be the self,
(2) making material sense gratification one’s standard of enjoyment,
(3) being anxious due to material identification,
(4) lamenting and
(5) thinking that there is anything beyond the Absolute Truth.
In SB Third Canto Chapter 12 (which we are going to study in the near future), Lord Brahma first created the various kinds of nescience. They are mainly:
- Self-deception
- The sense of death
- Anger after frustration
- The sense of false ownership, and
- The illusory bodily conception, or forgetfulness of one’s real identity.
The reason is that unless a living entity forgets his real identity, it is impossible for him to live in the material conditions of life. Therefore the first condition of material existence is forgetfulness of one’s real identity. And by forgetting one’s real identity, one is sure to be afraid of death, although a pure living soul is deathless and birthless. This false identification with material nature is the cause of false ownership of things which are offered by the arrangement of superior control. All material resources are offered to the living entity for his peaceful living and for the discharge of the duties of self-realization in conditioned life. But due to false identification, the conditioned soul becomes entrapped by the sense of false ownership of the property of the Supreme Lord. It is evident from this verse that Brahmā himself is a creation of the Supreme Lord, and the five kinds of nescience which condition the living entities in material existence are creations of Brahmā. (SB 3.12.2)
Furthermore, the living entity, as part and parcel of the Lord, is partially independent because he partially possesses all the qualities of the Lord. Anyone who has some independence may sometimes misuse it due to ignorance. When the living entity prefers to misuse his independence and glide down towards nescience, the all-merciful Lord first of all tries to protect him from the trap, but when the living entity persists in gliding down to hell, the Lord helps him to forget his real position. The Lord helps the falling living entity glide down to the lowest point, just to give him the chance to see if he is happy by misusing his independence. Almost all the conditioned souls who are rotting in the material world are misusing their independence, and therefore five kinds of nescience are imposed upon them. (SB 3.12.3)
Based on above verses, my understanding is that main reason for being in ignorance is our deliberate choice to be in forgetfulness of our relationship with the Supreme Lord, Sri Krsna. Because we made a choice to enjoy independently from the Lord, He had to put us in this conditioned material world. Thus we are subjected to the three modes of material nature (goodness, passion, and ignorance).
The solution to dissipate the darkness of ignorance lies in the execution of bhakti yoga – to revive our eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord. “The process of religion described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, however, is able to give its followers permanent relief from the threefold miseries. The Bhāgavatam describes the highest religious form — reinstatement of the living entity in his original position of transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord, which is free from the infections of desires for sense gratification, fruitive work, and the culture of knowledge with the aim of merging into the Absolute to become one with the Supreme Lord… The real form of religion is spontaneous loving service to Godhead. This relationship of the living being with the Absolute Personality of Godhead in service is eternal. By contact with material nature the living entities exhibit varied symptoms of the disease of material consciousness. To cure this material disease is the supreme object of human life. The process that treats this disease is called bhāgavata-dharma, or sanātana-dharma — real religion. This is described in the pages of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Therefore anyone who, because of his background of pious activities in previous lives, is anxious to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam immediately realizes the presence of the Supreme Lord within his heart and fulfills the mission of his life.” (CC Adi 1.90)
It is exactly this process of religion that Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda appeared to teach us. Our goal is to revive our dormant Krsna consciousness and achieve love of Godhead which is achieved hrough congregational chanting of the holy name.
CC Ādi 1.84
vande śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-
nityānandau sahoditau
gauḍodaye puṣpavantau
citrau śan-dau tamo-nudau
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda, who are like the sun and moon. They have arisen simultaneously on the horizon of Gauḍa to dissipate the darkness of ignorance and thus wonderfully bestow benediction upon all.”
CC Ādi 1.88-89 — As the sun and moon drive away darkness by their appearance and reveal the nature of everything, these two brothers dissipate the darkness of ignorance covering the living beings and enlighten them with knowledge of the Absolute Truth.
CC Ādi 1.90 — The darkness of ignorance is called kaitava, the way of cheating, which begins with religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation.
CC Ādi 1.97-98 — The sun and moon dissipate the darkness of the external world and thus reveal external material objects like pots and plates. But these two brothers [Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda] dissipate the darkness of the inner core of the heart, and thus They help one meet the two kinds of bhāgavatas [persons or things in relationship with the Personality of Godhead].
CC Ādi 1.99-100 — One of the bhāgavatas is the great scripture Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and the other is the pure devotee absorbed in the mellows of loving devotion. Through the actions of these two bhāgavatas the Lord instills the mellows of transcendental loving service into the heart of a living being, and thus the Lord, in the heart of His devotee, comes under the control of the devotee’s love.
CC Ādi 1.101-102 — The first wonder is that both brothers appear simultaneously, and the other is that They illuminate the innermost depths of the heart. These two, the sun and moon, are very kind to the people of the world. Thus for the good fortune of all, They have appeared on the horizon of Bengal.
“The material miseries of the living entity, which are superfluous to him, can be directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service. But the mass of people do not know this, and therefore the learned Vyāsadeva compiled this Vedic literature, which is in relation to the Supreme Truth.” (SB 1.7.6)
Therefore if we sincerely follow the instructions of Srila Prabhupada, who is teaching the same messages coming down from Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda), the darkness of ignorance can be dissipated. The two main processes for this age are chanting the holy name of the Lord, and hearing about the Lord.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 