2024.04.08 - Nama Retreat. Session 4 (Govardhan) - Bhakti Vijnana Goswami

The soul is given this human body as a help to develop bhakti, and, as a result, get free from the enslavement of matter. The goal of our existence is to experience some emotions. If these emotions are the byproduct of ego, they are called material emotions, whereas if the same emotions are the product of the spiritual ego, then they are called spiritual emotions. The ego is a switchboard of emotions. Initially, citta, or consciousness, is completely pure. In a pure consciousness we can see our true self and feel the presence of God. But when a false ego covers the consciousness, it becomes like a dark cloud. As a result, when we have the false ego, everything we perceive is a matter. The false ego has three aspects: kartritvam, I am the hero or the victim; karanatvam, I am this body and I have senses; and karyatvam, I enjoy everything that belongs to me. In addition, the false ego creates three illusions. First of them is the notion that we are the doers. Second is the misconception of the pure spirit soul having qualities it does not actually have, and the third one is that we experience something that we don’t really experience. To get rid of this false ego, we need to associate with saintly people and, eventually, develop our spiritual ego by entering into a relationship with them.