The Heaviest Responsibility

As more and more of my students around the world are approaching me expressing their desire to become my initiated disciples, I am realizing more and more how heavy is this service given to me by spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. There is no more serious responsibility than to take charge of making sure that a person goes back to home, back to Godhead.

I know that on my own I have no qualification for this most weighty of all tasks. Therefore I am simply bowing down at the feet of Srila Prabhupada and begging for his most merciful benediction that I may be fully empowered by him to successfully carry out this duty.

mukham karoti vacalam
pangum langhayate girim
yat krpa tam aham vande
sri-gurum dina-taranam

"I offer respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master Srila Prabhupada, the representative of the eternal parampara, who has delivered the most fallen, and by whose mercy the lame can cross over mountains and the dumb can speak eloquently."

I know that only by his grace will this be possible.

Answers According to the Vedic Version

Question: Atma, Jiva, Prana...

1. Can you please explain the difference between Atma, Jiva and Prana?

2. When we say that a person is suffering or enjoying, 'who' is actually suffering or enjoying?

Your student

Milind

Answer: Jiva Floats within Prana...

Atma is the Spirit-Soul. This term is more or less synonymous with jiva, the living entity. The atma and the jiva and are the same. Prana is the life air that is flowing within the material body. In our conditioned state of consciousness, the atma or the jiva is situated in the body floating within the prana, the life air.

The jiva, the atma is the one who is suffering or enjoying. If he misidentifies with matter. he suffers. If he remembers his spiritual nature and acts accordingly, he factually enjoys unlimited bliss.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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