Radhanath Swami Speaking on Three Realizations of God

The scriptures explain there are three realizations of God.  One is the unmanifest impersonal light of God, the other is the localized presence of God who is personally seated within everyone’s heart and the third is the Lord who is the supreme source of everything that exists, who is personally residing in the spiritual realm engaging in eternal pastime with His eternal associates. That is called Bhagavan.

Merging into the Brahman is the goal taught by Shankaracharya, the incarnation of Lord Shiva. He is teaching how to liberate oneself from all material bondage, from all suffering, from all ignorance, and enter into the eternal light of transcendental consciousness. Or the light of eternity.  According to the Bhagavatam and the Vaishnav philosophers it is explained that this is the partial realization of the absolute truth beyond freedom, which means to completely forget one’s individuality and to simply merge into an existence. A deeper and higher realization of God than this is to realize our eternal loving relationship with the Lord.  Which is higher?  Freedom or love.  Within love is freedom.  Within bhakti or prema automatically liberation is included.  But it is not a dull relationship.  It is an eternally dynamic relationship in which a spirit soul eternally reciprocates in pure love in a totally liberated position with God.

By Radhanath Swami

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