Hare Krishna Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisnaces, all glories to Srila Prabhupada.

To night I was on my work related issues and I have some free time (as I was kept on hold, waiting for others to finish their work) and I went to "jayarama.us" archives and when I'm reading (Vedic Vs Myth and optical illusion document), somehow I got  this question.

What is the ultimate goal of this life, "Knowing the truth" or "feeling the truth". What is the purpose of reading all these Sastra's, is it to gradually to raise to the level of "feeling". Knowing the truth or having the knowledge makes the "heart to respond instead mind".

Or serving the Lord, knowing that, he is Supreme or anything else beyond it, in this yoga.

Please pardon my ignorance in regards to the above question Maharaj. I'm trying to make a habbit of the reading the sastras on a regular basis, some how some days, I feel more motivated and some days more like just reading. How do I make the mind go beyond the lines.

Your humble servant

-Srinivasa from Richmond, VA

       HpS - ASA -  AGTSP!    paoho   Is so, so nice to hear from you.  More, more.  We have letters of recomendation for your inititation and for your good spouse and we will deal them more officially when we get to USA after June 1st.  Now we are in the last week of this four month traveling sankirtan!     We are in Spain and Monday we go for the education symposium in Belgium.

Your questions are very good.  Usually, in these industrialized societies we take "knowing" as what Prabhupada calls, "Jnana".  There is very nice essay on this in the Foreward to the Isopanisad, "What is Veda?"   Please read it.    Modern guys, science, is Rational Empiricism. That is Pratyaksa and Anumana as you read the Isopanisad essay.  We see - I know, I see it.   And we speculate - algebra, grammar, logic, on that perception.

    Feeling for modern man is usually feelings that relate to the body, stomach, etc.   When we talk about feelings in the heart it is coming to the fundamental feelings of the Vrajavasis for Krsna.  These dont relate t the body.  This is the ulitmate goal. In the beginning our heart is clouded so we "feel" in the heart through our intelligence, Buddhi, contemplation.  Its very close to the soul.

      So, the answer is, that the jnana, rational understanding that Sastra gives, is to help us get off the gross level of Karma, senses, work without understanding.   It is useful.  We need it.  This is jnana, knowing.  But the goal is feeling.  Not feeling in the stomach, but feeling in the heart.  And to start that will mostly be dhyana, meditation, contemplation. We will be able to read Prabhupada's books with attention. We don't have to understand so much.  We are there with them.

Is a little clearer?   Read the Essay at the start of the Isopanisad!