show great intelligence, and thus finds himself unable to see things in their proper relief”.

If every act is to have a consequence, the man who is conscious of Krishna, God, the Supreme Person, does not have to enjoy or suffer the consequences of his acts. To demonstrate this, the Lord refers to the philosophy of Vedanta. It teaches that there are five causes for all action, five causes for their success, and that we must know them. Sankhya is the basis of knowledge, and Vedanta, the sum of knowledge, which all great perfect spiritual masters recognize. The ultimate will is invested in the Supreme Soul, and this Supreme Soul engages each one in specific acts. The act accomplished under her direction, which She gives from within, has no consequences, in this life as in the next. The instruments of the act are the senses; through them, the soul acts in various ways, and for each act it provides a particular effort. But ultimately, all acts of being depend on the will of the Supreme Soul, located in the heart of each being as a Friend. The Lord is therefore, in deed, the supreme cause. That is why he who acts in Krishna consciousness under the direction of the Supreme Soul at his heart, is not bound by any of his actions. The whole man established in the consciousness of Krishna, God, is not indebted for his actions; for him, everything rests on the supreme will, the Supreme Soul, God, the Sovereign Being.

We must dwell on the meaning of the words “good” and “bad” in this word of God. The good deed is that which is done according to the teaching of the holy scriptures, and the evil act that which goes against scriptural precepts. But every act requires the five factors for its full accomplishment.

The fool cannot understand that the Supreme Soul is located inside his body as a Friend, and from there She conducts his acts. If the material causes of the act are the place, the author, the effort and the senses, the ultimate cause is the Supreme Being, the Lord. We must therefore not limit our vision to the four material causes, but of course also extend it to the efficient cause, the supreme cause. Whoever does not see the Supreme believes himself the cause of the act.

Logos 333

The Blessed Lord said: “Abandoning the fruits of all deed, this is what the wise understand by this word, “renunciation”. And what the great scholars call “renouncing” is the very state of the man who practices this renunciation. Man can taste the fruits of renunciation by simple self-control, detachment from the things of