The path of liberation can only be achieved by serving spiritually advanced beings, whether impersonalist or holy. Whether one wishes to blend into the Lord’s existence or live in his company, one must serve the great souls. As for those for whom this way is of no interest, who seek the company of men in love with women and fleshly pleasures, the path to hell is wide open to them. Great souls enjoy a perfect balance, and make no difference between one living being and another. They live in the greatest serenity and immerse themselves completely in devotional service. Anger is foreign to them, and they work for the good of all; their conduct is not reprehensible in any way. Such characters are called great souls.
Men who want to revive their awareness of God and increase their love for Me do not like to do anything unrelated to my Person. They do not seek to mingle with all those who are concerned only with maintaining their bodies, eating, sleeping, uniting sexually and defending themselves. Although heads of families, they have no attachment to their homes; they have no attachment to their wives, children, friends or material possessions. At the same time, they do not remain indifferent to the performance of their duties, but simply collect the money necessary to survive.
When someone considers sense gratification as the purpose of his life, he engages in material life to go mad at it and engages in all kinds of sinful activities. He does not know that it is because of his past misdeeds that he has already received a material body, which, despite its transitory nature, is at the origin of his suffering. In truth, the distinct being (the individual and distinct being of God) should never have donned this fleshly envelope, but it was attributed to him for the satisfaction of his senses. Therefore, I do not believe that it is appropriate for an intelligent man to again become entangled in material activities that would perpetually force him to put on bodies, life after life.
As long as the living being (the incarnate soul) does not inquire into the spiritual values of existence, he must know defeat and the evils of ignorance. Whether it is virtue or sin, karma [law of action-reaction, law of cause and effect] bears fruit, and if a person is involved in one form or another of karma, his mind is described as “tinged with the desire to enjoy the fruits of action”. As long as the mind remains unclean, the consciousness remains obscured, and as long as one follows the path of the interested action, one must clothe a material body.
Similar to the burning fire that converts wood into ashes, the fire of knowledge reduces to ashes all the consequences of material actions.