truth, just as one can understand that family and wealth are different from oneself, the liberated being knows that he is different from his body. The fire itself is distinguished from the flames, sparks and smoke, even though all of these remain intimately linked as they come from the same burning wood.

The Sovereign Lord, known as Param Brahman [The Divine in its ultimate form, the cause of all causes. The Supreme Spiritual Being, God, the Supreme Person, Krishna], is the real observer, and He is distinguished from the individual soul, which is united with the senses, the five elements and the consciousness.

The Spiritualist must see in all manifestation a unique soul, for everything that exists proceeds from the different energies of the Supreme Being. So the wise man must see all beings with an equal eye, without any distinction. This is the realization of the Supreme Soul.

Just as fire manifests itself in different kinds of wood, the soul purely spiritual, under different conditions created by the three attributes or forms of influence of material nature; virtue, passion, ignorance, manifests itself in various bodies.

Thus can the spiritualist become a realized soul after having overcome the insurmountable spell of maya (The energy of illusion) which presents itself at the same time as the cause and effect of the material manifestation and which is therefore very difficult to understand.

Devotional service has many paths, depending on the characteristics of those who perform it.

The service of devotion accomplished by an envious, proud, violent, angry and separatist person, is placed under the sign of ignorance.

As for the separatist who adores the murtis (representations of the Lord) in the temple, animated by a desire for material enjoyment, fame and opulence, it is said that his devotion arises from passion.

When a wise man worships the Sovereign Lord and offers Him the fruits of his deeds so as to free himself from the taint of self-interested action, his devotion belongs to virtue.

Pure and unadulterated devotional service is manifested when the mind of the sage is instantly drawn to listening to the name and the spiritual and absolute attributes of the Sovereign Lord, who dwells in the heart of every being. As the water of the Ganges flows naturally towards the ocean, such a devotional ecstasy that no material condition interrupts freely flows towards the Lord.

The pure holy being does not accept any form of liberation, let him act of salokya, sarsti, samipya, sarupya or ekatva, even if they are offered to him by the Sovereign Lord himself.