In the Revealed Scriptures, the Ultimate Object of Knowledge Is Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead

SB 1.2.28-29: In the revealed scriptures, the ultimate object of knowledge is Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. The purpose of performing sacrifice is to please Him. Yoga is for realizing Him. All fruitive activities are ultimately rewarded by Him only. He is supreme knowledge, and all severe austerities are performed to know Him. Religion [dharma] is rendering loving service unto Him. He is the supreme goal of life. 1. That, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, is the only object of worship is confirmed in these two ślokas. 1. There are many mahatmas, many yogis, jnanis, karmis. But, if they do not approach the ultimate goal of life, Vasudeva -- then srama eva hi kevalam. (SB 1.2.8) 2. Krsna is the original cause of everything. He's not caused by anyone and is completely independent. Therefore all activities should be targeted to Vasudeva. (vasudevah sarvam iti, BG 7.19) 2. vāsudeva-parā vedā - Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate object of knowledge. 1. Student of the Vedas should know what is the end of that knowledge (Vedanta). In Bhagavad-gita, Krsna declares that the ultimate purpose of the Vedas is to know Him only. (BG 15.15) 2. Śrīla Vyāsadeva who is the incarnation of the Lord, compiled the Vedic literatures. His purpose was to remind the fallen souls of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. 3. Vedic literatures clearly declare that no demigod can award freedom from material bondage. 4. Impersonalists who are offensive towards the Lord, can surrender unto Him only after many, many births in the culture of transcendental knowledge. (BG 7.3) 3. vāsudeva-parā makhāḥ - The purpose of performing sacrifice is to please Him. 1. All the vedic sacrificial ceremonies are meant for realizing the truth about Vāsudeva. 2. Another name of Vāsudeva is Yajña (sacrifice). 3. In every sacrifice there must be Visnu, Salagrama-sila. Without Salagrama-sila, no yajna sacrifice can be performed. 4. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly stated that all sacrifices and all activities are to be conducted for the satisfaction of Yajña, or Viṣṇu. (BG 3.9) 4. vāsudeva-parā yogā - Yoga is for realizing Him. 1. Yoga means to get in touch with the Supreme Lord. 2. Krsna declares that one who renders transcendental loving service unto Him is the top- most yogi. (BG 6.47) 3. Yoga is not done for health's sake, or curing the liver disease or reducing fat. 4. All of the yogic processes are meant for concentrating upon the localized aspect of Vāsudeva, represented as Paramātmā.  Paramātmā realization is but partial realization of Vāsudeva, and if one is successful in that attempt, one realizes Vāsudeva in full.  If unsuccessful, the yogīs are given a chance to take birth in the families of good learned brāhmaṇas or in the families of rich merchants in order to execute the unfinished task of Vāsudeva realization. (BG 6.41) 5. vāsudeva-parāḥ kriyāḥ - All fruitive activities are ultimately rewarded by Him only. 1. All our activities, dharma, will be tested by how far we have satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (samsiddhir hari-tosanam, SB 1.2.13) 6. vāsudeva-paraṁ jñānaṁ - He is supreme knowledge. 1. According to Bhagavad-gītā there are eighteen items in cultivating knowledge, which culminates in devotional service to the Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. (BG 13.8-12)

 By such culture of knowledge one becomes gradually pride-less, devoid of vanity, nonviolent, forbearing, simple, devoted to the great spiritual master, and self-controlled.  By culture of knowledge, one becomes unattached to hearth and home and becomes conscious of the miseries due to death, birth, old age and disease. 2. Physical knowledge in its various branches is condemned in the Bhagavad-gītā as ajñāna, or the opposite of real knowledge.  The ultimate aim of physical knowledge is to satisfy the senses and thereby, the continuance of the threefold miseries. Therefore, it is nescience.  The same physical knowledge leading to the way of spiritual understanding helps one to end the miserable life of physical existence and to begin the life of spiritual existence on the plane of Vāsudeva. 3. Real education is to teach people about Vasudeva, about Krsna.  My incident: When I went for my first vrindavana parikrama, my parents met our spiritual master. He said, “You have given her material education, we will give her spiritual education”. 4. All scientific research should be to know Vasudeva.  Modern day research only focusses on the body, external things.  Example: Srila Prabhupada visited M.I.T and challenged them where is the technology ,where we can understand the difference between a dead man and a living man? (Where is the technology?) 7. vāsudeva-paraṁ tapaḥ - All severe austerities are performed to know Him. 1. Tapasya means voluntary acceptance of bodily pains for the sake of knowing Vāsudeva.  Example: Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the father of all living entities, agreed to become the son of Vasudeva and Devakī being pleased upon their severe austerities. 2. Austerities performed for the sake of sense gratification are classified as in modes of passion and ignorance.  Passion and ignorance cannot end the threefold miseries of life.  Example: Manufacturer of the atomic bomb also underwent austerities, but what is the value? It is only killing men.  Example: Rāvaṇa and Hiraṇyakaśipu underwent a severe type of bodily torture to achieve the end of sense gratification.  Example: Sometimes modern politicians also undergo severe types of austerities, but only to achieve some political motive. 8. vāsudeva-paro dharmo - Religion is rendering loving service unto Him. 1. Dharma is given by God Himself. One cannot manufacture dharma, religion. (dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam, SB 6.3.19) 2. Dharma is to execute Varnasrama-dharma. (catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma- vibhagasah, BG 4.13) 3. Dharma is obedience to God. Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita, sarva-dharman parityajya (BG 18.66) and man-mana bhava mad-bhakto (BG 18.65). 9. vasudeva-para gatih - He is the supreme goal of life. 1. The ultimate goal is to go back to home, back to Godhead. 2. One who is interested in hearing about Vasudeva, his progress is very quick. Otherwise, everything he does is simply a formality.

10. All culture of knowledge, austerities, sacrifice and activities should be aimed at changing the quality of the influence that is acting upon living entities from material energy to spiritual energy. 1. Mahātmās who are under the influence of the internal potency are constantly engaged in the service of the Lord without deviation. (mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha, BG 9.13) 2. No one should bother himself with fruitive activities or dry speculation about transcendental knowledge. (anyabhilasita-sunyam, CC Madhya 19.167) 3. Nor should one worship different demigods who work as different assisting hands of the Lord for creation, maintenance or destruction of the material world. 4. Even though Lord Vishnu accepts the quality of goodness of the material world, He is still transcendental to all the material modes.  Analogy: As a king, although sometimes visits the prison, is not bound by the laws of the prison house, similarly, the Lord Vishnu, although in charge of the mode of goodness, is always transcendental to the laws of the material world. (The Lord is always transcendental) 11. We should take advantage of the study of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the direction in order to make our life successful. Our aim of human life and the mission will be fulfilled. That is the Krsna Consciousness Movement.