Realizing Our Eternal Relationship with Kṛṣṇa

At the core of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy is the understanding that every living entity has an eternal, unbreakable relationship with Kṛṣṇa. This relationship is not a mental construct or a theological dogma but the fundamental reality of existence. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that just as a part is related to the whole, the soul is related to the Supreme Lord. The misery of material life is nothing more than the symptom of forgetting this connection.

Source of Fear and Misery

Why is the conditioned soul always fearful? The scriptures explain that fear arises when one misidentifies with the material body and forgets the Supreme Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes this state as māyā, or illusion. He explains that when the living entity turns away from Kṛṣṇa, they are forced to struggle in the material world, accepting temporary relationships that inevitably end in separation and sorrow. This forgetfulness is the root cause of the "perverted memory" that leads to fear and anxiety in material existence.

• Vigatabhih. One cannot be fearless unless one is fully in Krsna consciousness. A conditioned soul is fearful due to his perverted memory, his forgetfulness of his eternal relationship with Krsna.
• Fearfulness is a sort of illusion for the living being when he is in slumber and forgetting his eternal relation with the Lord. Since the living being is never to die by his constitution, as stated in Bhagavad-gita then what is the cause of fearfulness?
• By the influence of maya only, one forgets his eternal relationship with Krsna and he becomes a victim of the influence of maya, and his materialistic life of continued birth and death becomes still more stringent.

Uncovering Dormant Reality

The relationship with Kṛṣṇa is never lost; it is simply covered. Śrīla Prabhupāda compares this to a dormant state that can be reawakened. He assures us that the process of devotional service—hearing, chanting, and remembering—acts as the catalyst to revive this original consciousness. When the covering of ignorance is removed, the soul naturally resumes its constitutional position. This revival is the specific purpose of the human form of life, which is described as arthadam, or that which can award the highest value.

• Because we are integral with Him (Krsna), because we are part and parcel of Him, our relationship with Him is eternal. That relationship simply has to be revived, and that revival is this process of Krsna consciousness.
• In human life, our eternal, dormant relationship with Krsna is possible to revive. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja has described this life as arthadam.
• Our relation with Him is eternal; it can neither be broken nor vanquished. It may be forgotten for the time being, but it can be revived also by the grace of the Lord, if we follow His injunctions, which are revealed in the scriptures of all times.

Perfection of Relationships

In the material world, we seek satisfaction through relationships with family, friends, and society. However, these are temporary and often disappointing. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that all worldly relationships are merely perverted reflections of the original relationship we have with Kṛṣṇa. By reestablishing our link with the Supreme, all other relationships are perfected. He explains that knowing one's eternal relationship with God allows one to understand that all living beings are related as brothers and servants of the same Supreme Father.

• When that knowledge comes (relationships as friend, parent, child, master, etc are reflections of the relationship we have with God), we begin to understand that we are servants of Krsna and that we have an eternal love relationship with Him.
• Relations (in the mundane world) cannot help us be happy perpetually, but if the same relation is established with the Lord, then we are transferred to the transcendental world after leaving this material body and become eternally related with Him.
• On the mundane platform all relationships are relative. Our relationship with Krsna, however, is eternal and not subject to time and circumstance.

Service and Surrender

The nature of this eternal relationship is service. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that we are constitutionally servants of Kṛṣṇa. Acknowledging this fact is the beginning of true freedom. He warns that the refusal to serve God leads to the forced service of the senses and material nature. One cannot avoid service; one can only choose to serve the benevolent Master, Kṛṣṇa, or the dictates of māyā.

• A living entity is eternally related with Krsna in the relationship of master and servant. Once that service is wanting - or, in other words, when one is not situated in Krsna consciousness - it is to be understood that study of Vedanta is insufficient.
• Realizing our identity means realizing that we are Krsna's eternal parts and parcels, that we are very minute, infinitesimal, and that we have a perpetual and eternal relationship with Krsna, just as a part has its relationship to the whole.

Conclusion

To be Kṛṣṇa conscious is to be sane. It is the restoration of the soul to its natural, healthy condition. Śrīla Prabhupāda urges everyone to take advantage of the human form of life to fix this broken link. He warns that whoever loses this chance to revive their lost consciousness is classified as a narādhama, or the lowest of mankind. Therefore, the ultimate goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead, where our eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa can be fully enjoyed.

Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani

Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Eternal Relationship with Krsna. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.

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