Surrender to Krishna is individual

In class this morning, Prabhupada emphasized that no one can become Krsna conscious except by their own choice. "It is all individual; I have to surrender to Krsna individually. Just like when you go to the sky on airplane, it is all individual. If one airplane is in danger, other airplane cannot save him. That is not possible. Similarly, it is all individual. It is all paratah svato va. One has to take it seriously, personally, that 'Krsna wants, so I'll surrender. Krsna said, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja, so I'll do it.' Not that 'When my father will do, then I shall do,' or 'My husband will do, then I shall do,' or 'My wife will do.' No, it is all individual. And there is no restraint, ahaituky apratihata. If you want to surrender to Krsna, nobody can check you. Collectively, if it is done, it is good; but it has to be done individually."

He said the problem is that we want everything except Krsna. Like a small child who doesn't know what he actually needs, we don't know that our actual want is Krsna. To illustrate this, he narrated a story from chapter six of the Ninth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam which he is currently translating. "Even an animal, a small insect, everyone is interested in sense enjoyment. This morning I was reading in the Bhagavatam, one Saubhari Muni, he was a great yogi, and within the water he was executing the yoga, mystic, and he saw that the two fishes are enjoying sex. So he became sexually inclined-old man, yogi. So he went to Mandhata King, that 'You give me one daughter, your daughter.' So he was within the water, old man, and old man's bodily feature is not very good. The king knew that 'This is a useless person, but he is a yogi. He has come to ask me for a daughter.' So he said, 'Yes, you are welcome. I have got my fifty daughters. So any one will like you. You can accept. I have no objection.'

"So Saubhari Muni understood that 'The king has tactfully avoided to give his daughter.' So he was a yogi. So he made himself very beautiful young man. That yogi can do that. They can change. Because we are not this body, so body is old, it can be younger; younger body can be older. Nowadays in medical science, they are also doing. A man is woman, woman is man. So body can be changed. There is no difficulty if you know the process. So he changed to be a very nice, beautiful young man. So all the fifty daughters, they became attracted. They began to fight, 'Oh, he is for me. He is not for you.' So anyway, he accepted all the fifty daughters. In this way he became very elevated householder. But at some time he began to think, 'What is my, this enjoyment? Simply by seeing the sex affairs of the fish ... I was a yogi, I was a tapasvi, I've lost everything. Now I am a householder and pet husband of these women.' So he came to his senses. Again he went to the forest for tapasya."

Prabhupada concluded that material life, however opulent it may be, has no value. He contrasted this with spiritual life. "In the material conditioned life your aim is how to satisfy your senses. And Krsna consciousness means you have to work in the same spirit, same vigor, but you have to satisfy Krsna. That is spiritual life. Not that to become lazy fellow. Kama means when one desires to satisfy his own senses. Prema means when you engage yourself for satisfying Krsna's senses. Why gopis are exalted? Because their only endeavor was to satisfy Krsna's senses. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended, ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhu-vargena ya kalpita [There is no better mode of worship than that which was conceived by the vraja-vadhus, the damsels of Vrndavana]. They had no other business. Those who are in Vrndavana, if they actually want to live in Vrndavana, their business should be how to satisfy the senses of Krsna. That is Vrndavana. Not that 'I am living in Vrndavana and trying to satisfy my senses.' That is not vrndavana-vasi. That kind of living, there are so many monkeys, dogs and hogs also; they are in Vrndavana. Do you mean to say that they are living in Vrndavana? No. Anyone who wants to satisfy senses in Vrndavana, their next life is dogs, hogs, and monkeys; you must know that. So one should not try to sense gratify in Vrndavana. That is a great sin. Simply try to satisfy Krsna's senses. That is bhakti. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam.

"So in order to teach this lesson to us, the conditioned souls, jiva-loka, Krsna, vidhatse svena viryena, by His own potency ... Own potency means, if you surrender to Krsna, He has got such potency He can deliver you from this conditioned life, jiva-loka. He can make you purified. That is called mukti. When you are free from this conditioned stage, this bodily conception of life, then you become free -- simply by understanding Krsna. After giving up this body, he does not get any more this material body. Then what happens to him? Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti. Krsna comes to call you back. So he comes back. If you take Krsna's instruction, you go back to Krsna. And again you become happy. Otherwise, maya-mohita-cetasah. You'll have to suffer life after life."

- From "A Transcendental Diary Vol 4" by HG Hari Sauri Prabhu

Surrender to Krishna is individual