think it is a blinding white light. They think that it is everywhere,
and everything, without any particular form or personality. They think
that since form and personality exist in the material world, they must
not exist in the spiritual world. Thus they form a philosophy based in
the monistic conception. When one merges, he loses his separate
identity in the blinding existence of brahman. Thus he loses
his vision, his hearing, his smelling, tasting, touching. No longer has
he hands, legs, head or voice. He becomes a spiritual light and enters
into the vast brahman effulgence and gets lost, just as a green
parrot seems to merge into a green tree. After some time, the parrot
wishes to fly away, and thus he is seen to be still existing separate
from the tree. Similarly, the living entity drops out of brahman
into this material world when he again desires sense enjoyment. We
never lose our separate existence as a spirit soul. We never lose our
desires.
Merging into the brahman is considered to be spiritual suicide by
devotees of Krishna. Vaishnavas do not want to give up their spiritual
senses, for they use those senses to serve the Lord. The spirit soul is
part of the Supreme, as a spark is part of a fire, thus he possesses
all the qualities of the Supreme. Since the Supreme is also sentient,
but to the highest degree, the parts of Him are also possessing senses,
but to a limited degree.
With our eyes we see the form of the Lord, with our ears we hear His
names and pastimes, with our tongue we taste food offered to Him with
love and devotion, and in this way we utilise our senses, mind and
intelligence in serving the Supreme. Since there are two, the servitor
and the served, there is a loving connection between them. Love
requires two, the lover and the beloved. When one becomes One, there is
no possibility of love.
Sri Hari - Lecture Into Sound
Comments