asceticism and will end up experiencing perfect happiness in the service of the Lord. Whether one submits to it voluntarily or is compelled to do so by the Lord, austerity in devotional service is necessary to attain perfection, and such asceticism is identified with the internal power of the Lord..

However, no one can practice the asceticism of devotional service unless they are completely cleansed of all sin. Indeed, only one who has freed himself from the consequences of all his sinful acts is able to engage in the worship of the Lord. Ultimately, only the union of asceticism and love can satisfy the Lord, who then grants all his mercy. Under his direction, the being purified of all sin attains the highest perfection of existence.

In the practice of austerity, one must have the firm resolution to return to God, and be ready to overcome all kinds of obstacles to achieve this end. Whoever aspires to wealth, prestige and glory will also have to submit to harsh austerities, for no one can have influence in this world except at the cost of sacrifice. But why would one have to submit to severe asceticism to access the perfection of devotional service?

Quite simply because one cannot both lead a quiet life and achieve the perfection of spiritual realization. The Lord is smarter and smarter than any other, and He longs to see how diligent His devotee is in performing devotional service. To carry out, whatever it costs, the order which comes to us directly from the Lord or through the intermediary of the authentic spiritual master, this is the great austerity. Whoever observes this principle with rigor will succeed in attracting the mercy of the Lord.

The kingdom of God is this splendid world where reigns a totally spiritual atmosphere which one indicates under the name of tripad-vibhuti, because it is three times larger than the material cosmos. Our galaxy, with its thousands of stars and planets, is just one of the billions of galaxies that dot the material cosmos. These billions of galaxies put together make up only a quarter of the Lord's immense creation. Indeed, beyond this material cosmos exists another world, the spiritual world, and the spiritual planets, called Vaikunthas, represent three quarters of the entire creation of the Lord, Thus the creations of God remain immeasurable forever..

The spiritual world extends beyond the material cosmos. Material influences, starting with ignorance and passion, are totally absent. The inhabitants of the spiritual planets do not show the slightest trace of lust or lust, for these two tendencies only arise under the influence of ignorance. In the spiritual world, only pure virtue reigns. The illusory manifestation of material energy is conspicuous in its absence. There is no ignorance, no passion, no illusion, no past, no present, no future. Beyond this material world, which forms a quarter of the manifestation of the energy of God, lies three quarters of this manifestation, or the spiritual world. The Viraja river, coming from the perspiration of the body of the Lord, separates the material and spiritual manifestations. It is therefore on the other side of the Viraja that three quarters of