This human form of life is meant for understanding Krsna because we
are very thickly related with Krsna, just like father and the son.
This relation cannot be broken. Maybe son is out of home, son may have
forgotten, but Krsna, the supreme father, He does not forget. He
comes. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata, tadatmanam
srjamy aham [Bg. 4.7]. So Krsna is so kind that He has come to explain
Himself, what He is. We should take advantage of it, because this
human form of life is meant for understanding Krsna.
If we simply act piously, that is good, but it is not perfect. Suppose
I execute many pious activities in my life. Then due to my pious
activities, I may get my birth in good family, high family. That is
called janma. Then aisvarya, opulence, wealth; sri, beautiful body;
and education also. But Narottama dasa Thakura says that Karma-kanda,
jnana-kanda, kebala bisera bhanda. Though I get my birth in a good
family, there is still risk of degradation. Because sometimes we get
our birth in rich family and due to opulence we are associated with
bad company. Then we begin to act sinfully. That means again
degradation. Therefore the Vaisnava philosophy does not very much
approve even pious activities. We should be simply after Krsna
consciousness, simply interested in the service of Krsna. That is real
sacrifice.
We are transmigrating according to our karma, different forms of life.
The reason is because we are associating with the gunas, with the
material qualities. So one has to increase his attachment for Krsna.
Everything is going on under the modes of material nature. One has to
become above the, transcendental to these gunas. And what is that
process? The process is mad-asraya. When you take shelter of Krsna or
you take shelter of Krsna's pure devotee, then you become
transcendental. It is said in BG 14.26 : Sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma-bhuyaya kalpate (he transcends the modes of material nature).
Who can transcend these modes? Mam ca yo 'vyabhicarena bhakti-yogena
sevate (One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all
circumstances).
BG 7.1
Sri-bhagavan uvaca
Mayy-asakta manah partha
Yogam yunjan mad-asrayah
Asamsayam samagram mam
Yatha jnasyasi tac-chrunu
 "The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Now hear, O son of Prtha,
how by practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached
to Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt."
The process is mayy asakta-manah. One has to increase his attachment
for Krsna. We have got attachment for so many things. We have to
divert the attachment towards Krsna. This is the yogam yunjan. This
yoga can be executed when we take shelter of Krsna, mad-asrayah.
Mad-asrayah means either you take shelter of Krsna or one who has
taken shelter of Krsna.  So one has to become a devotee, or to take
shelter of a pure devotee to practice the yoga system then one can
become a pure devotee.
Krsna advised Arjuna to become a yogi, but Arjuna said that "Krsna, it
is not possible for me. Because I am a politician, I am a soldier, I
cannot sit down to practice yoga superficially. My mind will be
disturbed in political affairs, in state affairs." So, cancalam hi
manah krsna pramathi balavad drdham: "My mind is so restless, it is
not possible." Then Krsna, to encourage him, said,
"Anyone who is thinking of Me always," mad-gatenantar-atmana
sraddhavan sa me yuktatamah, "He is the first-class yogi." (BG 6.47)
So we should try to become the first-class yogi. Always think of
Krsna. This is our Krsna consciousness. And Krsna is also saying the
same thing, mayy asakta-manah partha yogam. How you can think of Krsna
always? That is not possible unless you become too much addicted. Just
like if you love somebody, then you can think of him always.
Artificially, if I say, "You think of Mr. John always," how will it be
possible? Artificially it is not possible. If you have got some love
for Mr. John as a friend, as a lover or as somebody, or son or master
or something, then you can think of Mr. John always. Otherwise it is
not possible. There is relationship with Krsna. So you have to revive
that relationship. It is not artificial.
It is never possible to know Krsna, God, perfectly and completely by
the speculating method. It is not possible. If you want to know Krsna,
or God -- when we speak of Krsna, God -- so then Krsna's formula must
be followed, as it is said here, mayy asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan
mad-asrayah. The principal factor is to become attached to Krsna.
Attached means become a lover of Krsna.
So one of the Krsna's representatives, Srila Rupa Gosvami, he has
defined how this attachment can be increased. He has explained adau
sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah. Adau sraddha. Some sraddha, some faith,
this is required. And you have to increase this sraddha, this faith,
more and more. How it can be increased? Sadhu-sanga, to intermingle
with the persons who are engaged in Krsna consciousness. Adau sraddha
tatah sadhu-sangah. Sadhu means who is a devotee of Krsna. Otherwise
he is not sadhu.
The nine different types of methods (hearing, chanting, remembering,
worshipping the lotus feet of the Lord, being a servant of the Lord,
being a friend to the Lord, deity worship, surrendering unto the Lord)
that is called bhajana-kriya. And adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango 'tha
bhajana-kriya tato 'nartha-nivrttih syat. Then anartha, all unwanted
things which you have learned unfortunately, that will be finished. If
you mix with, intermingle with sadhu, then you will be purified, and
things which are not required at all -- artificially you have learned
by bad association -- that will be gone. Anartha-nivrttih syat. Nobody
learns to smoke from the very birth. He has to eat something. He
drinks milk, the child. He doesn't say, "Give me a cigarette," but one
has learnt it by bad association. This is called anartha. One has
learnt it, drinking tea, coffee, not from the beginning of one's life
but by bad association. It is anartha. So if we engage ourself
in devotional service, then these things will disappear automatically.
Because we are part and parcel of Krsna, there cannot be
disconnection. Therefore it is a stage of forgetfulness. Instead of
loving Krsna, we have expanded our love for so many things. Somebody's
loving his body. Somebody's loving his family. Somebody's loving his
society, community, nation, or the human society. We are trying to. We
must love. There is no escape. I must love somebody, because the
propensity's there.
We can practically see that even one who has no family, he keeps one
pet dog or pet cat because he wants to be attracted by somebody. This
is nature. So here Krsna says that "You have got already attraction,
but in false things which will not exist. You turn that attraction
unto Me. Then you'll get pleasure." You are attracted to something for
getting some pleasure. So that pleasure is interrupted because we have
posed our attraction in some false things. One has to change that
attraction to the real thing, Krsna. Then we can be happy. Mayy
asakta. Mayi: "Unto Me,"
So the original love is for Krsna. But because we have forgotten
Krsna, therefore our love is distributed in so many ways. But we are
frustrated because everything is misplaced. Just like if you water on
the top of the tree or every leaf, every branch, every twig, you
cannot keep the tree very fresh. But if you water on the root of the
tree, it keeps fresh, always.
yatha taror mula-nisecanena
trpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopasakhah
pranopaharac ca yathendriyanam
tatha sarvarhanam acyutejya
If you water on the root of the tree, automatically the trunk, the
branches, the twigs, the leaves, the flowers, fruits, everything is
refreshed. Another example is also there in the next line:
pranopaharac ca yathendriyanam. As by supplying food to the stomach
all the indriyas, all the senses become refreshed, energetic,
similarly acyutejya, by loving Krsna, Acyuta is another name of Krsna.
So acyuta-ijya, by worshiping Krsna, by satisfying Krsna, you can
satisfy everyone. This is the process.
So one has to keep always Krsna within his heart. Krsna is already
within our heart. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese arjuna – I am seated
in the heart of all living entities [Bg. 18.61]. He's already there.
Simply we have to qualify ourself to see that Krsna is here. That is
called krsna-yoga, or bhakti-yoga.
If one wants to know Krsna, the Supreme Lord, here is Bhagavad-gita As
It Is. Try to understand, and then life will be successful.
 Srila Prabhupada
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