Fire in the. Match

46)    As there is fragrance in the rose, oil in sesame seeds, ghee in milk, fire in the match, and sugar in sugar cane, know for certain, my friend, that there is an individual essential spiri­tual spark housed within the body.

47)    As a car cannot move without a driver so the body cannot move without the guidance of the soul, the real self.

48)    With just a little reasoning you can understand the existence of the individual soul within your body. Once you had a baby's body, but now your body is fully grown. You have a different body now, but you remain the same person.

49)    You say "my hand" or "my leg," not "I hand" or "I leg." So it is clear that you possess your body, but that it is not the true self. You are not your body; you are pure spirit soul.

 

50)    The spiritual spark is described in Svetasvataro Upanishad (5.9) as being about l/10,000th the size of the tip of a hair. But is it any a wonder that such an incredibly small particle can control the movements of the vastly larger gross body when even a small boy perched atop an elephant can con­trol the great beast by means of a stick?

51)    A traveler stranded in the desert becomes thirsty to the point of madness upon seeing a mirage, although the "wa­ter" he sees is but an illusory representation of genuine water. Similarly, all are searching after love, but we are frustrated by lust at every step. Here in this material world we find only the perverted reflection of love. As the real water the traveler seeks can be found in lakes and streams, so genuine and fulfilling love exists only with Shri Krishna.

52)    Lick the outside of a jar and you will never taste the sweet honey within. Similarly, mental speculation can keep you forever outside the pale of devotional service.

53)    Yet how great and good the devotees' fortune! They are just like effulgent full moons! Just as no one complains of a spot on the face of the full moon, so pure devotees are consid­ered to be faultless. Even if a temporary flaw or worldly ten­dency may arise in their character they are rectified by Lord Krishna. Mayavadis, habituated to denying any intelligence in God, are truly honeycombed with faults, for how can a void rectify anything?

54)    Just as a government servant aspires after the very post he serves, so an impersonalist may pose himself as the Lords servant, although he actually hankers after becoming God.

55)    From the mountains, water furiously rushes ever down­ward to the ocean, yet the sea remains calm. But when the full moon appears in the sky, the ocean goes mad. Similarly, the devotee remains unmoved before material desires, yet he be­comes ecstatic when Krishna appears to him.

56)    Chanakya Pandit said, "At night the sky becomes beau­tiful in intimate association with the moon. A state is orga­nized by a good government. A young lady appears very beau­tiful in the presence of her husband. And even an ugly person can appear beautiful if he is learned." Prabhupada says, "Simi­larly, everything becomes attractive if Krishna is there."

57)    Narada Pancharatra advises hrishikena hrishikesha sevanam bhaktir uchyate: "Serve the Lord of the senses with purified senses." For the sincere seeker there is no other re­course.