Yoga Means to Vote for Freedom and Independence...

In everyone's life there are two duties: one is to serve the illusion, and the other is to serve the reality.

When one serves the reality, he is a real sannyasi. And when one serves the illusion, he is deluded by maya. One has to understand, however, that he is in all circumstances forced to serve. Either he serves the illusion or the reality.

The constitutional position of the living entity is to be a servant, not a master.

One may think that he is the master, but he is actually a servant. When one has a family he may think that he is the master of his wife, or his children, or his home, business and so on, but that is all false. One is actually the servant of his wife, of his children and of his business.

The president may be considered the master of the country, but actually he is the servant of the country. Our position is always as servant - either as servant of the illusion or as servant of God. If, however, we remain the servant of the illusion, then our life is wasted.

Of course everyone is thinking that he is not a servant, that he is working only for himself. Although the fruits of his labor are transient and illusory, they force him to become a servant of illusion, or a servant of his own senses.

But when one awakens to his transcendental senses and actually becomes situated in knowledge, he then becomes a servant of the reality. When one comes to the platform of knowledge, he understands that in all circumstances he is a servant. Since it is not possible for him to be master, he is much better situated serving the reality instead of the illusion. When one becomes aware of this, he attains the platform of real knowledge. By sannyasa, the renounced order of life, we refer to one who has come to this platform. Sannyasa is a question of realization, not social status.

It is the duty of everyone to become Krishna conscious and to serve the cause of Krishna. When one actually realizes this he becomes a mahatma, or a great soul. In Bhagavad-gita Krishna says that after many births, when one comes to the platform of real knowledge, he "surrenders unto Me." Why is this? Vasudevah sarvam iti (Bg. 7.19). The wise man realizes that "Vasudeva (Krishna) is everything." However, Krishna says that such a great soul is rarely found. Why is this? If an intelligent person comes to understand that the ultimate goal of life is to surrender unto Krishna, why should he hesitate? Why not surrender immediately? What is the point in waiting for so many births?

When one comes to that point of surrender, he becomes a real sannyasi. Krishna never forces anyone to surrender unto Him. Surrender is a result of love, transcendental love. Where there is force and where there is no freedom, there can be no love. When a mother loves a child, she is not forced to do so, nor does she do so out of expectation of some salary or remuneration.