EXPLORING THE TRUTH
When Did You Last Taste Freedom?
Never truly, yet always in the Delusion of Liberation
When did you last taste freedom?
Was it in the soft, genial breath of childhood
never touched by the weight of years
running barefoot under the open sky
laughter mingling with the breeze?
Or was it in the hushed hours of the night
away from their watchful eyes
hissing secrets with friends
truths too raw for the daylight?
Perhaps you felt it in a moment of solitude
standing on the farthest edge of the world
a colluded room’s transient escape
a slice of independence cut from the chaos
Did you find it in the ink of your pen
words flowing free and flying depths
your voice rising against the silence
breaking the chains of repression?
Did you see it in the pulse of a protest
in the streets that breathed revolution
the collective roar for change
a coherence of firm hearts?
Maybe it was in the white of a prayer
connecting us beyond the tangible
that soft moment of surrender
faith unfurling like a flag in the storm
In material existence, why are we never free to enjoy endless pleasure?
But tell me
have you felt the ‘real’ freedom
that lies beyond the physical
ever felt the liberation of the soul
away from the illusions of the world?
Learn the honest truth:
What we chase are the shadows of freedom
confined by our worldly perceptions
our visions limited by material chains
never grasping the true essence
True freedom eludes our grasp
bound by the laws of nature
struggling against the inevitable
searching for a release we cannot name
We seek freedom in statues
in declarations and rights
but where is the freedom from ourselves?
from the birth and death cycle
the decay and disease that bind us?
What if freedom is not found
in the world outside
but within, in the secure corners of our being
where the soul dances unbound
and the spirit breathes without restraint?
Suppose a fish finds itself on the land
thrown there by a wave’s caprice
it may claim freedom in the open air
but its breathless gasps tale different
True freedom lies not in the wanderings
but in the disciplined return to its ocean home
a path guided by necessity
to the waters where it truly belongs
We are like fish out of water
souls adrift in the material world
yearning for never ending joy
Yet, in this existence
pleasure is fleeting
tied to the senses’ transient delight
The supply of worldly joys is finite
our capacity for enjoyment
ever limited
leaving us grasping at silhouettes
never quite free
To find enduring happiness
we must elevate our consciousness
connect with the eternal within
in the realm of spirit
as souls
we can savor an everlasting bond of love
with the eternal Lord
a vast ocean of immortal nectar
where joy flows unceasingly
In the end
freedom is not a place
not a moment or a declaration
but a state of the soul
unshackled
limitless
infinite
forever
In the darkness
we see the light
in the empty void
a boundless fullness
In giving up the world’s embrace —
we find a freedom that has no bounds
In our deepest confinement —
we touch the divine expanse
“The real freedom is not the freedom to do anything we like, but the freedom to do what is right.”
~A.C. Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda, from “The Science of Self-Realization”
One summer, I was obsessed with trying to keep up with what everyone else had. I spent hours scrolling through social media, comparing my life to others and feeling like I was missing out. I thought that if I had the latest phone or the coolest clothes, I would finally be happy.
But one day, while sitting alone at the park, I decided to turn off my phone and just watch the beautiful creations of God.
As I sat there, I realized that I was chasing after things that never really brought me ‘real’ happiness. I began to understand that true freedom wasn’t about having more things, but about being content and finding joy in the simplest of the present moments.
“When we realize our true nature as eternal spiritual beings, we experience freedom beyond material constraints.”
~Bhakti Cāru Svāmī, from his talks and teachings
As I still continue to sit to enjoy those serene moments, I started to feel a deep sense of peace and eternal happiness that I hadn’t felt before. It was like…stepping out of the busy rush of every day's life and into a calm, soft, open space where I could just be myself and myself…forever.
Rādhānātha Svāmījī has rightly said — In the heart of a devotee, the chains of material existence are transformed into the wings of spiritual freedom.
