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When one has got that vision, transcendental vision, samah sarvesu bhutesu mad-bhakti, then the devotional service begins. Not that with blunt eyes and senses one can serve God, devotional service.
atah sri-krsna-namadi
na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau
svayam eva sphuraty adah
[Cc. Madhya 17.136]
This is the process. So when our senses are engaged in the service of the Lord, sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170], when our senses become purified, hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate, at that time, the hrsika, the senses are engaged in the service of the Lord. Because Krsna is spirit, the Supersoul, He cannot be served by matter. He has to be served with spirit.
Therefore Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati [Bg. 9.26]. This bhakti is spiritual activity. Because Krsna says, bhaktya prayacchati. If you offer something Krsna, "Krsna, I have brought a very palatable dish. You take it." Oh, Krsna will not take it. Naham prakasah sarvasya yogamaya-samavrtah [Bg. 7.25]. He's not exposed to everyone. It is not possible. You cannot serve Krsna if you are not a devotee. Therefore Krsna says, yo me bhaktya prayacchati. That is the real thing, bhaktya. Not that "I have brought a nice plate and Krsna will accept." Not like that. Krsna can accept when you offer something, it doesn't matter what it is, it may be a simple flower, a fruit, a, a small piece of leaf or little water... This is universal. For worshiping Krsna, there is no impediment. If you want to worship other demigods, there are so many things required. But for worshiping Krsna the poorest man in the world, any part of the world, he can offer his love, his offering to Krsna. Patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati [Bg. 9.26].
So... So real purpose of this Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu by Rupa Gosvami which we have translated by the name, Nectar of Devotion, the Complete Science, the Complete Science of Bhakti-yoga, this is very important book of understanding how to become purified in devotional service, how to approach Krsna, how to satisfy Krsna. These things are described very nicely. And Krsna, being Supreme, He's Supersoul, we cannot approach with our material consciousness. Therefore the consciousness has to be changed. Then we can approach Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness movement. Unless we change our consciousness... Just like, without being fire, you cannot enter into fire. In the sastra says, without being Brahman, you cannot approach Brahman. Similarly, without being purified of all material contamination, you cannot approach Krsna. Hrsikena hrsikesa. How, what kind of hrsika, senses? Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. The senses are to be purified. Tat-paratvena. Tat-paratvena means being always attached with Krsna. If you simply see Krsna with your eyes, then your eyes will be purified and spiritualized. Because you are touching... Just like if you keep yourself always in touch with fire, you become warm. Warm, warm, warmer. If you put one iron rod in the fire, it becomes warm, warmer, warmer, and at last, it becomes red hot. When it is red hot, it is fire. It is not more iron rod. You touch that red hot iron anywhere, it will burn. Similarly, if you keep always in touch with Krsna, you become Krsna, Krsnized, and you can appreciate what is Krsna.
Thank you very much. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 26, 1972 The Nectar of Devotion
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Vrndavana, October 27, 1972
Pradyumna: (reading) "Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Srila Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada and of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada by whose inspiration I have been engaged in the matter of compiling this summary study of Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. This is the sublime science of devotional service as propounded by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who appeared 500 years ago in West Bengal, India, to propagate the movement of Krsna consciousness. Srila Rupa Gosvami begins his great book by offering his respectful obeisances unto Sri Sanatana Gosvami who is his elder brother and spiritual master, and he prays that Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu may be very pleasing to him."
Prabhupada: Yes.
Pradyumna: "He further prays..."
Prabhupada: Our... Srila Rupa Gosvami wanted to please Sanatana Gosvami. Our duty is to please the superior, not the public. We are giving service to the public according to the direction of the superior authority. We do not manufacture any program of service. That is not our business. Whatever is ordered by the... Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He's Krsna Himself. Still, He was following the authorities. Sri Krsna, Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality, He was also referring to the Brahma-sutra: brahma-sutra-padais caiva viniscitam. So this is the way, that any bona fide spiritual propaganda must be following the footsteps of previous authority.
At the present moment, it has become a fashion to manufacture some idea. But that is not the Vedic way. Vedic way is to receive the message through parampara system. Evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayoh viduh [Bg. 4.2]. Not to deviate the parampara. So Sanatana Gosvami was taught by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu continually for two months personally in Benares, Varanasi. Therefore he's our authority. The Hari-bhakti-vilasa, the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya, they follow the principles of Hari-bhakti-vilasa. In that Hari-bhakti-vilasa Sanatana Gosvami recommends, tatha diksa-vidhanena dvijatvam jayate nrnam. Diksa-vidhana, by the process of diksa, a, any human being can be elevated to the position of a bona fide brahmana. Vidhanena. Vidhana. The very word is used, vidhana. Vidhana means bona fide process. Tatha diksa-vidhanena. There is another good suggestion: yatha kancanatam yati kamsa-rasa-vidhanena. Rasa. Rasa means ... Another meaning of rasa means... What is that? What is called? I forget. The metal...?
Devotee: Bell metal.
Prabhupada: Eh?
Pradyumna: Bell metal?
Prabhupada: No, not bell... That liquid metal.
Devotees: Mercury.
Prabhupada: Mercury. Mercury. Hydrox... What is called? Hydroid?
Devotee: Quicksilver?
Prabhupada: No. Another name is hydrogeroid. That is the chemical name of mercury. You know it. Hydrogeroid? Yes. Unguentum hydrogeroid. Yes. That is another name of the mercury. Hydrogeroid. So in Sanskrit it is called rasa. Rasayana. From mercury, rasa, the chemistry is called rasayana-sastra. Actually, rasayana-sastra, chemical composition, begins from mercury and sulphur. That is the beginning of chemical composition. So rasa-vidhanena, by chemical interaction of sulphur and mercury, if you can add tin and copper, then it becomes gold. You can manufacture gold, provided you know the process, how to mix up copper, tin and mercury. With via media of sulphuric acid. Sulphuric acid is the mother of chemicals. Without sulphur, you cannot make any chemical composition. Therefore all chemical composition are called sulphate, sulphite, like that. So Sanatana Gosvami gives this idea of chemical composition. It appears that he knew how to work with chemicals.
yatha kancanatam yati
kamsa-rasa-vidhanatah
tatha diksa-vidhanena
dvijatvam jayate nrnam
So we are trying to follow Sanatana Gosvami. By diksa-vidhanena, by initiating persons any, from anywhere. It does not matter. Because in this age, Kali-yuga, the diksa-vidhana is performed according, according to Pancaratrika-vidhi. Not Vaidika-vidhi. Vaidika-vidhi is very strict. Unless one is bona fide son of a dvija, the initiation was not given. To the sudras, there was no initiation. A brahmana ksatriya, vaisya. So these are the Vedic process. So in the Kali-yuga, because it is to be understood that everyone is a sudra, therefore Vaidika-vidhana cannot be applied. Vaidika-vidhana requires that one must be born by a brahmana, ksatriya. Then he's eligible for being initiated. But in the Kali-yuga, that is not possible. Therefore the Pancaratriki-vidhi is accepted. Narada-Pancaratra. Tatha diksa-vidhanena. This diksa-vidhana, recommended by Sanatana Gosvami, means Pancaratriki-vidhi. Now Rupa Gosvami says in his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu,
sruti-smrti-puranadi-
pancaratriki-vidhim vina
aikantiki harer bhaktir
utpatayaiva kalpate
[Brs. 1.2.101]
Without undergoing the process of sruti -- means Vedas -- smrti, the Puranas, and other corollary literatures, Bhagavad-gita, Mahabharata, Smrti, Manu-smrti, the laws given by Manu, Parasara... So Hari-bhakti, devotional service to the Lord, must be approved by Vedas, Puranas. Pancaratriki-vidhi. Otherwise, any show of devotional service is simply disturbance. Anyone can manufacture. And it is being supported by some very big missionary activities: yata mata tata pata. You can manufacture your way of religious principles. But that is not Vedic way. Vedic way is evam parampara-praptam [Bg. 4.2]. Although we are initiating people from low-grade society, still, following the principles of Pancaratriki-vidhi, injunction of the Gosvamis. Therefore it is bona fide. Bhagavata-vidhi, Pancaratriki-vidhi, they are bona fide vidhi. So Sanatana Gosvami... Rupa Gosvami, first offers his respectful obeisances to his elder brother, Sanatana Gosvami, because Rupa Gosvami accepted him as spiritual master. And he was initiated by Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sanatana Gosvami. Rupa Gosvami also. So he offers his respectful obeisances to Sanatana Gosvami. Go on.
Pradyumna: "He further prays that by residing in that ocean of nectar he may always feel transcendental pleasure in the service of Radha and Krsna."
Prabhupada: Yes. "Ocean of nectar." The Mayavadi philosophers, generally they give this example that the, all the rivers, they flow down to the ocean. This example is generally given that when the river mixes with the ocean, it doesn't matter which course it is following. After all, it is coming to the ocean, merging into the ocean. So that is ultimate liberation. But this analogy... Analogy, if you give some analogy, you must consider all the similar points. That is the way of analogy. The more you have got similar points, then the analogy is perfect. So the rivers merging into the ocean. Then you must take further consideration that the superficial water mixing with the ocean is again evaporated. The water is evaporated by scorching heat of the sun. Just like now we see cloud in the sky. This is nothing but evaporated water from the sea. So the water which merged into the water and into the ocean of the, water of the ocean, now it is evaporated in the sky. And again it will fall down. And then again glide to the ocean. So this is called avagamana, coming and going, coming and going. But our Vaisnava philosophy is not to merge into the water, but keep your identity and go deep into the water. So that you may not be evaporated. The fish and the aquatic animals within the water, they are not evaporated. They are not going to become cloud and again fall down. Therefore Sanatana, Rupa Gosvami says, "He further prays that by residing in the ocean of nectar he may always feel transcendental pleasure..."
Our philosophy is go back to home, back to Godhead. Not in the spiritual sky. Paravyoma. Spiritual sky, there is chance of falling down. Why chance? It is sure. Those who are merging into the Brahman effulgence, the sastra says that they again fall down. Aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah patanty adhah [SB 10.2.32]. Aruhya krcchrena. They, jnanis, they undergo severe austerities, penances to merge into the existence of impersonal Brahman. But they fall down again. They fall down again because they have no shelter. Anadhrta-yusmad-anghrayah. As, as in this sky, there are many planets. You can go with high speed to the Moon planet or Venus planet. But if you have no shelter to stay there, you come back again on this earthly planet, that is practically experienced, similarly you may merge into the Brahman effulgence. Just like our plane goes very high and, at a certain point, we see it is invisible, merged. Actually, it is not merged. Our eyes cannot see any more. They take it as merge.
Therefore Jiva Gosvami, this merging principle, he has explained: just like a green bird enters into a green tree, it, it appears that the bird is no more existing. To the imperfect eyes. But the bird is existing. We cannot see. Both the tree and the bird being green, we see it has merged. Because the spiritual sky and the spiritual living being, a small, it merges it does not merge. It is there. The individuality is there. And because this individuality, fragment of the Supreme Brahman, is eternal, is eternal, sanatana... It is not that spirit can be cut into pieces. That is not possible. So we are fragmental parts. That means eternally we are so, individual. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13). We are one of the nityas. There are innumerable nityas and cetanas, the living entities, part and parcel of the supreme living entity, Krsna. They're all individual.
Krsna also says in the Bhagavad-gita, "My dear Arjuna, do not think that I, you, or all these soldiers and kings who have assembled in this battlefield, they were not existing in the past. They were. And they are existing at present. And similarly they will exist in the future." That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. So where is the question of merging? And loss of individuality? The individuality remains. It remained in the past. It is, at the present moment, it is continuing. And in the future also, they will remain, the same way. This is clearly explained in the second chapter of Bhagavad-gita. So merging does not mean, always, that losing one's individuality. The individuality's there. Therefore the theory of merging into the existence of impersonal Brahman is to stay there for some time, again fall down. Just like the same example that the water of the rivers, they merge into the ocean, but again it is evaporated, in the sky, and it falls. Again goes through the river, merges. Bhutva bhutva praliyate [Bg. 8.19]. This is going on. One mani..., once manifested, and again merging. This is going on.
So our philosophy is that once going into the ocean, no more coming back. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]. That is our philosophy. If we once go in the spiritual world, we do not like to come back. We stay with Krsna and dance with Him, or play with Him, or serve with, serve Him as tree, as plant, as water, as cows, as land, as cowherd boys, as father, mother, or as gopis. This is our philosophy. Once we go to Krsna, we live forever with Him in either of these capacities. Let me live at Vrndavana in any capacity. It doesn't matter. But live there. Therefore he says that "He further prays that by residing in that ocean of nectar he may always feel eternally continually, without any cessation..." Anandamayo 'bhyasat (Vedanta-sutra 1.1.12). To remain anadamaya. That is the principle of Vaisnava philosophy. Go on.
Pradyumna: "Let us offer our respectful obeisances to all the great devotees and acaryas or holy teachers, who are compared with sharks in the great ocean of nectar and who do not care for the various rivers of liberation. Impersonalists are very fond of merging into the supreme, like rivers that come down and merge into the ocean. The ocean can be compared with liberation and the rivers with all the different paths of liberation. The impersonalists are dwelling in the river water, which eventually comes to mix with the ocean. They have no information, however, that within the ocean, as within the rivers, there are innumerable aquatic living entities. The sharks who dwell in the ocean do not care for the rivers which are gliding down into it."
Prabhupada: Yes. The shark, big fish, shark, big body, they have no place to come into the river, come back. There is no place. Big crocodile, big sharks, they do not come to the river. They constantly remain in the ocean. Go on. Yes.
Pradyumna: "The devotees eternally live in the ocean of devotional service, and they do not care for the rivers. In other words, those who are pure devotees always remain in the ocean of transcendental loving service to the Lord and have no business with the other processes which are compared to the rivers that only gradually come to the ocean. Srila Rupa Gosvami prays to his spiritual master Srila Sanatana Gosvami for the protection of Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, the ocean of the pure nectar of devotional service, from the argumentative logicians who unnecessarily meddle in the science of service to the Lord. He compares their arguments and logic to volcanic eruptions in the midst of the ocean."
Prabhupada: Yes. Na tams tarkena yojayet. Acintyah khalu ye bhava na tams tarkena yojayet. Simply by arguments, logic, you cannot understand Krsna. That is the Vedic injunction. Tarko apratistho. You cannot establish the truth by simple logic and arguments. You may be very great logician, but somebody may come who is greater logician than you, and he defeats you. That is going on. Tarko apratistha srutayo vibhinnam. Now, if you read the Vedas, you'll find some contradiction. Not contradiction. But to the neophyte, it appears to be contradiction. Just like we have cited the example that animal stool is impure, but cow dung is pure. So by logic you can say that "Cow dung is also the stool of an animal. How it becomes pure?" But in Vedas you'll find such things. Therefore by simple studying, without surrendering yourself to the spiritual master, you'll find all these contradictions and you'll be bewildered. Srutayo vibhinna. They are not vibhinna. But to our limited knowledge, sometimes they appear as vibhinnam, different. Srutayo vibhinnam nasau munir yasya matam na bhinnam. And you won't find a philosopher who does not agree, who does not disagree with our philosophers.
Therefore dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam mahajano yena gatah sa panthah [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. We have to follow the footsteps of great acaryas. That is the way. These mahajanas are described in the sastra like Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, svayambhur naradah sambhuh kapilah kumaro manuh [SB 6.3.20]. They are all mentioned. So you follow any one of these great personalities, Brahma... Brahma is the greatest personality within this universe, and he has got his sampradaya which is known as Brahma-sampradaya. Similarly Lord Siva has also a sampradaya which is called Rudra-sampradaya. Similarly, Narada-Pancaratra, Kumara-sampradaya. So follow the sampradaya. Sampradaya vihina te mantras te viphalam matah. If you do not follow any bona fide sampradaya, then your path of spiritual advancement will be baffled. You will simply waste your time. Viphalam matah. So we should follow the footsteps of great acaryas. Then our progress is positive. There is no fear.
So to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead... Just like Rupa Gosvami's described, describing herewith that he wants to take shelter of the ocean, deep into the ocean, and he doesn't care for the rivers. And the, what is called? Bharavagni (?)? There is some whirling pool in the water. That is compared with the arguments. Sometimes these logicians, they create argumental calamity in the process of devotional service. But Rupa Gosvami recommends that we should not be deviated by the arguments, karmis, jnanis and yogis. Let them do their own business. We do not care for them. We give them respect as far as possible, but we don't, don't accept the path of karma-jnana-yoga. Jnana-karmady-anavrtam [Cc. Madhya 19.167]. Jnana-karmady-anavrtam. Anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam [Brs. 1.1.11]. We should not be deviated by the process of karma-jnana-yoga. That is pure devotional service, suddha-bhakti. Suddha-bhakti. We should stay. We should fix up in suddha-bhakti path. That is the recommendation of Srila Rupa Gosvami. Go on.
Pradyumna: "In the midst of the ocean such volcanic eruptions can do very little harm. Similarly, those who are against devotional service to the Lord and who put forward many philosophical theses about the ultimate transcendental realization cannot disturb this great ocean of devotional service."
Prabhupada: Go on.
Pradyumna: "The author of Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami, very humbly submits that he is just trying to spread Krsna consciousness all over the world, although he humbly thinks himself unfit for this work. That should be the attitude of all preachers of the Krsna consciousness movement, following in the footsteps of Srila Rupa Gosvami. We should never think of ourselves as great preachers, but should always consider that we are simply instrumental to the previous acaryas, and simply by following in their footsteps, we may be able to do something for the benefit of suffering humanity."
Prabhupada: Yes. Just like Narottama dasa Thakura says, tandera carana-sevi-bhakta-sane vasa. Tandera carana-sevi. Our main business is..., (uproar in background, sounds like monkey attacked audience) (pause) Hut! Hut! (laughter, applause) So our main business is to serve the acaryas. This Krsna consciousness movement means why..., we are trying to serve the acaryas. Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His direct disciples, the Sad-gosvamis, and their disciples. Rupa-raghunatha-pade haibe akuti. That is required.
tandera carana-sevi-bhakta-sane vasa
janame janame mora ei abhilasa
So this society is attempting to create a society of devotees all over the world, without any discrimination of caste, creed, color. One must be a devotee of Krsna. Yei krsna-tattva-vetta sei guru haya [Cc. Madhya 8.128]. One must know the science of Krsna. Then he can preach to others. Sei guru haya. That is our purpose.
People may not misunderstand our propagation that we are proselytizing some persons to Hinduism. Yesterday one so-called jnani came to me, and he challenged me that "Swamiji, formerly the Christians used to convert the Hindus and the Muhammadans used to convert the Hindus into Muhammadanism or Christianism. Now you are converting the Christians into Hinduism. Then where is the difference between their activities and your activities?" So this fool does not know this is not making a person from Christian to Hindu. This is not the process. We are not interested. I never said in any meeting in the Western countries that "Hindu religion is better than your Christian religion. You give up your Christian religion and come to Hindu religion." No, that was not my propaganda. There are many old students here present. They may remember. I never made propaganda. Rather when they inquired one can attain perfection by following Christian principles, I said yes. So our propaganda is not to proselytize people from Christian to Hinduism. Our propaganda is to make everyone know this fact, that everyone is eternally servant of Krsna. That is our propaganda. Jivera svarupa haya nitya krsna dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. That is our propaganda. We are trying to convince people that "Your original position is servant of Krsna. You have now forgotten that. You revive your Krsna consciousness, and you'll become happy." That is our propaganda.
Do not misunderstand that we are trying to spread Hinduism. Hinduism is a fictitious term. Because there is no fixed-up conclusion. Somebody's accepting this, somebody... Even the Jains and the Sikhs and many other sub-religions, they are also ruled by the Hindu rules, Hindu law. So actually this word Hindu is given by the Muhammadans. We don't find this word in the Vedic literature, Hindu. It is later, I mean to say, prakrta. Or in Bhagavad-gita you won't find the word Hindu. Or in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Or any other Vedic literature. This is the convention of latest age. Actually, we, the followers or Vedic principles, our system is varnasrama-dharma, four varnas and four asramas. This is, this can be applicable. But varnasrama-dharma is applicable in any, in anywhere. Catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. The creation of God... Just like sun. Sun is creation of God. Sun is visible everywhere. Not that something American sun and something Indian sun. No. The sun is the same. Similarly, catur-varnyam, the four principles of division, brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, and sudra, they are everywhere. It is not the monopoly of India.
Anywhere there are intelligent class of men, God conscious men, they are called brahmanas. Anywhere who are prepared for the right cause, administrator, ksatriyas. Anywhere who are interested in business, trade, agriculture, they are called vaisyas. And anywhere who are simply satisfied by serving others, he's called sudra. So our principle is not to proselytize from Christian to Hindu or Muhammadan to Hindu. We are teaching simply how to revive his own constitutional position to become servant of Krsna. This is Krsna consciousness movement. So it is applicable anywhere and everywhere. It is not that it is monopoly of India or for the Hindus. No. And actually it is being accepted, practically. In all countries. Even from all religious sect. In our Society there are boys and girls, they are coming from Christian group, Jews group, Muhammadan group, but when they come here, all of them become the servant of Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness movement.
Thank you very much. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 27, 1972 The Nectar of Devotion
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Vrndavana, October 28, 1972
Pradyumna: (reading) "...divided into four parts, just as the ocean is sometimes divided into four parts, and there are different sections within each of these four divisions. Originally in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, the ocean is divided like the watery ocean into east, west, north, and south, while the sub-sections within these different divisions are called waves. As in the ocean, there are always different waves, either on the eastern side, the western side, the northern side, or the southern side, so similarly Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu has different waves. In the first part there are four waves, the first being a general description of devotional service. The second concerns the regulative principles for executing devotional service and the third wave is devotional service in ecstasy. In the fourth is the ultimate goal, love of God. These will be explicitly described, along with their different symptoms. The authorized description of bhakti, or devotional service..."
Prabhupada: Caitanya Mahaprabhu compared bhakti as the, a great ocean. So when He was speaking before Rupa Gosvami, He said that "It is just like a ocean. So I'll take a drop of it, and you taste it, and you'll understand what is this ocean." Just like by tasting one drop of sea water we can understand the taste of the whole ocean, similarly Caitanya Mahaprabhu described a small portion of Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. Bhakti rasa amrta. Bhakti, devotional service, there is a rasa, taste, and the taste is amrta, eternal.
Here also, we have got taste for any relationship. Just like we have got our relationship with master and servant. So this relationship is a perverted reflection of the real master and servant. Here it is perverted because the master also does not love the servant, and the servant also does not love the master. The servant serves the master so long there is payment. If the payment is stopped, then no more the servant will be available. But in the eternal world, the Krsna's servant... So that is eternal, without any payment. Mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki [Cc. Antya 20.29, Siksastaka 4]. Ahaituki. The servants of God, or Krsna, they serve Krsna not for any material gain. Ahaituki. Therefore this word is used, ahaituki, without any cause of motive. This is real bhakti. Therefore this bhakti word is applicable only in relationship with God, or Krsna. In the material world, there cannot be any use of the word bhakti. Because here the so-called devotional service is motivated. So this bhakti word is monopolized by Krsna, and nobody else. Go on.
Pradyumna: "The authorized description of bhakti, or devotional service, following in the footsteps of previous acaryas can be summarized in the following statement of Srila Rupa Gosvami: 'First-class devotional service is known by one's tendency to be fully engaged in Krsna consciousness, serving the Lord favorably.' "
Prabhupada: Yes.
anyabhilasita-sunyam
jnana-karmady-anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanu-
silanam bhaktir uttama
[Brs. 1.1.11]
This is the first statement of bhakti given by Srila Rupa Gosvami. The... "First class devotional service is known by one's tendency to be fully engaged in Krsna consciousness, serving the Lord favorably." Not unfavorably. Anukula, pratikula. Anukulyasya sankalpa pratikulyam vivarjanam. Bhakti means we should simply accept what is favorable to Krsna. What is not favorable to Krsna, that we shall not accept.
Just like Arjuna. In the beginning he declined to fight. He was thinking favorably to his own senses, that "If I kill my brother, grandfather, nephews, those who are on the other side,... They have come to fight with me. So I can kill them. I can own victory over them. But what is the profit? If my relatives, friends, and all others die, then what is the use of my become victorious?" That was his... That means he was thinking in his favor. Krsna wanted that "You must fight. You are a ksatriya. It is your duty to fight. You are My friend. If you go away, fly away from this battlefield, what people will say? That 'Krsna's friend has gone away.' So this is not good." So when he could not be convinced, then Krsna had to speak the whole Bhagavad-gita. Then after hearing Bhagavad-gita, Krsna inquired from Arjuna "What is your decision now? Are you going to fight or not?" Arjuna said, "Yes, my illusion is over." Nasto mohah smrtir labdha tvat-prasadan madhusudana. So karisye vacanam tava [Bg. 18.73]. "Yes, I shall fight." So this is favorable to Krsna.
So we have to see what is favorable to Krsna, not sense gratification, not favorable to me. Or to my country, or to my society. No self-interest. Only Krsna's interest. That is bhakti. So by fighting, Arjuna became a great devotee. Bhakto 'si priyo 'si me [Bg. 4.3]. Krsna certified that "You are My greatest devotee. You are My very confidential friend." But what did he do? He did not read Vedanta philosophy. He was a grhastha, a king, engaged in fighting. He knew how to fight only. He did not know what is Vedanta philosophy. But still, he became a great devotee of Krsna. Bhakto 'si. So what is the criterion? The criterion is that he fought favorably. He did favorably to Krsna consciousness.
That is described in the Caitanya-caritamrta. What is the difference between kama and... Kama means lust; and love. Kama and prema. Prema is love, and kama is lust. It appears similar. In the material world, lust is going on in the name of love. A boy loves a girl, a girl loves a boy, but actually the boy also wants sense gratification and the girls also want sense gratification. That is not love. As soon as there is any difficulty in sense gratification, immediately there is divorce. So there is no love. There is only lust. In the material world there is no love. Therefore Caitanya-caritamrta Kaja, the author of Caitanya-caritamrta, he has distinguished between love and lust. He says, atmendriya-priti-vancha tare nama kama [Cc. Adi 4.165]. When you want to satisfy your senses, that is called lust. Krsnendriya-priti vancha dhare prema nama. When you want to satisfy the senses of Krsna, that is love.
Just like Arjuna. In the beginning he wanted to satisfy his own senses. "I shall not fight because if the other party, my brothers and grandfathers, they live, I shall be happy." So that is kama. That is not prema. But when he agreed to fight because Krsna wanted it... Nimitta-matram bhava savya-sacin. So that is prema. So Krsna-prema can be executed in so many ways. Simply Krsna should be satisfied. That is prema. That is Krsna consciousness. So at the present moment, Krsna, in the Bhagavad-gita wanted: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Krsna wanted Arjuna -- Arjuna means everyone -- that they should surrender to Krsna and be engaged in the service of Krsna. So people... Krsna, when we speak of Krsna, means God, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
So this Krsna consciousness movement is propagating that to serve Krsna. When Krsna was present He demanded that "You surrender unto Me," and we are preaching, "You surrender unto Krsna." What is the difference? There is no difference. So the same thing, what was spoken five thousand years ago by Krsna personally, we, Krsna cons..., we, Krsna conscious men... Because we are known in the world as Hare Krishna People. They write in the newspaper, "The Hare Krishna People." So our preaching is the same. We don't change. We present, therefore, Bhagavad-gita As It Is. Krsna says that everyone should surrender unto Him. We are preaching the same philosophy, that "You surrender to Krsna." Krsna says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. We say the same thing. We ask everyone that "You become a devotee of Krsna. You think of Krsna constantly. You worship Krsna. You offer you obeisances unto Krsna." So this is favorable. If we preach what Krsna said five thousand years ago, that is favorable. That is Krsna consciousness. To act in favor Krsna means Krsna consciousness movement. Go on.
Pradyumna: "The purport is that one may also be in Krsna consciousness unfavorably, but that cannot be counted as pure devotional service. Pure devotional service should be free from the desire for any material benefit or for sense gratification as these two desires are cultivated through fruitive activities and philosophical speculation."
Prabhupada: Yes. Sense gratification... I, as I was explaining, a few minutes (I finished?) before. Caitanya-caritamrta Kaja says, bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kami sakali asanta. Bhukti. Bhukti means karmis. They want sense enjoyment. So long they live here in this body, they enjoy their senses to the topmost, and they make provision for the next life, to be elevated in the heavenly planet to enjoy in the Nandana-kanana with the demigods. More standard of living, enjoyment more opulent. That is the desire of the karmis. Jnanis, they say, brahma satyam jagan mithya. "This world is false. There is no enjoyment. Actual enjoyment, to merge into the existence of Brahman." So that is also a subtle sense enjoyment. Leave this world, and enter into Brahman. Then you feel happy. So that is also sense enjoyment.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 28, 1972 |
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