Vaniquotes - User contributions [en]

Your supreme, eternal form cannot be seen by unfortunate, less intelligent persons, but we are so much satisfied in our mind and vision to see it

2025-09-15T05:26:56Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Your supreme, eternal form cannot be seen by unfortunate, less intelligent persons, but we are so much satisfied in our mind and vision to see it"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Iswaraj}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2017-11-16T08:13:12Z}}
{{last|2017-11-16T08:13:12Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=1|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Visnu]]
[[Category:Supreme]]
[[Category:Eternal Form]]
[[Category:Cannot Be]]
[[Category:Seen]]
[[Category:Unfortunately Less Intelligent]]
[[Category:Four Kumaras]]
[[Category:So Much]]
[[Category:Satisfied]]
[[Category:Mind]]
[[Category:Vision]]
[[Category:Bhagavatam Verses Spoken by the Four Kumaras - Vaniquotes]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 03 Chapter 15 - Description of the Kingdom of God]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Cantos 01 to 09 - All Verse Translations]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>SB Canto 3</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
Your supreme, eternal form cannot be seen by unfortunate, less intelligent persons, but we are so much satisfied in our mind and vision to see it.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:SB 3.15.50|SB 3.15.50, Translation and Purport]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
O Lord, we therefore offer our respectful obeisances unto Your eternal form as the Personality of Godhead, which You have so kindly manifested before us. Your supreme, eternal form cannot be seen by unfortunate, less intelligent persons, but we are so much satisfied in our mind and vision to see it.
</div>
<div class="text">
The four sages were impersonalists in the beginning of their spiritual life, but afterwards, by the grace of their father and spiritual master, Brahmā, they understood the eternal, spiritual form of the Lord and felt completely satisfied. In other words, the transcendentalists who aspire to the impersonal Brahman or localized Paramātmā are not fully satisfied and still hanker for more. Even if they are satisfied in their minds, still, transcendentally, their eyes are not satisfied. But as soon as such persons come to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are satisfied in all respects. In other words, they become devotees and want to see the form of the Lord continually. It is confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā that one who has developed transcendental love of Kṛṣṇa by smearing his eyes with the ointment of love sees constantly the eternal form of the Lord. The particular word used in this connection, anātmanām, signifies those who have no control over the mind and senses and who therefore speculate and want to become one with the Lord. Such persons cannot have the pleasure of seeing the eternal form of the Lord. For the impersonalists and the so-called yogīs, the Lord is always hidden by the curtain of yogamāyā. Bhagavad-gītā says that even when Lord Kṛṣṇa was seen by everyone while He was present on the surface of the earth, the impersonalists and the so-called yogīs could not see Him because they were devoid of devotional eyesight. The theory of the impersonalists and so-called yogīs is that the Supreme Lord assumes a particular form when He comes in touch with māyā, although actually He has no form. This very conception of the impersonalists and so-called yogīs checks them from seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead as He is. The Lord, therefore, is always beyond the sight of such nondevotees. The four sages felt so much obliged to the Lord that they offered their respectful obeisances unto Him again and again.
</div>
</div>
</div>

Less intelligent people are designated herein (SB 1.16.9) as lazy, unfortunate and short-lived

2025-09-15T05:24:22Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Therefore they are designated herein as lazy, unfortunate and short-lived"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Angela}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2020-01-15T10:44:24Z}}
{{last|2020-01-15T10:44:24Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=1|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Unfortunately Less Intelligent]]
[[Category:Designated]]
[[Category:Herein the Srimad-Bhagavatam]]
[[Category:Laziness]]
[[Category:Short Duration of Life]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 01 Chapter 16 Purports - How Pariksit Received the Age of Kali]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 01 Purports]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>SB Canto 1</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
Less intelligent people are designated herein as lazy, unfortunate and short-lived.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:SB 1.16.9|SB 1.16.9, Translation and Purport]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
Lazy human beings with paltry intelligence and a short duration of life pass the night sleeping and the day performing activities that are for naught.
</div>
<div class="text">
The less intelligent do not know the real value of the human form of life. The human form is a special gift of material nature in the course of her enforcing stringent laws of miseries upon the living being. It is a chance to achieve the highest boon of life, namely to get out of the entanglement of repeated birth and death. The intelligent take care of this important gift by strenuously endeavoring to get out of the entanglement. But the less intelligent are lazy and unable to evaluate the gift of the human body to achieve liberation from the material bondage; they become more interested in so-called economic development and work very hard throughout life simply for the sense enjoyment of the temporary body. Sense enjoyment is also allowed to the lower animals by the law of nature, and thus a human being is also destined to a certain amount of sense enjoyment according to his past or present life. But one should definitely try to understand that sense enjoyment is not the ultimate goal of human life. Herein it is said that during the daytime one works "for nothing" because the aim is nothing but sense enjoyment. We can particularly observe how the human being is engaged for nothing in the great cities and industrial towns. There are so many things manufactured by human energy, but they are all meant for sense enjoyment, and not for getting out of material bondage. And after working hard during the daytime, a tired man either sleeps or engages in sex habits at night. That is the program of materialistic civilized life for the less intelligent. Therefore they are designated herein as lazy, unfortunate and short-lived.
</div>
</div>
</div>

Unfortunately, those who are less intelligent think that when the body disappears, everything is finished. The entire world is being misled by such fools and rascals

2025-09-15T05:16:58Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Unfortunately, those who are less intelligent think that when the body disappears, everything is finished. The entire world is being misled by such fools and rascals"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|MadhuGopaldas}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|08May12}}
{{last|08May12}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=1|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Those Who]]
[[Category:Unfortunately Less Intelligent]]
[[Category:Thoughts of Less Intelligent People]]
[[Category:When]]
[[Category:Body]]
[[Category:Disappear]]
[[Category:Everything Finished]]
[[Category:The Entire World]]
[[Category:Is Being...]]
[[Category:Misleading]]
[[Category:Fools and Rascals]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 10 Chapter 01 Purports - The Advent of Lord Krsna: Introduction]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10 Purports - Chapters 01 to 13]]
</div>
<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam" class="section" sec_index="1" parent="compilation" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam"><h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
</div>
<div id="SB_Canto_101_to_1013" class="sub_section" sec_index="10" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam" text="SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13"><h3>SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13</h3>
</div>
<div id="SB10141_0" class="quote" parent="SB_Canto_10.1_to_10.13" book="SB" index="39" link="SB 10.1.41" link_text="SB 10.1.41">
<div class="heading">Unfortunately, those who are less intelligent think that when the body disappears, everything is finished. The entire world is being misled by such fools and rascals. But as stated in Bhagavad-gītā (2.20), na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre. The soul does not die when the body is destroyed. Rather, the soul takes on another body.
</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:SB 10.1.41|SB 10.1.41, Translation and Purport]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="trans text"><p style="display: inline;">Having experienced a situation by seeing or hearing about it, one contemplates and speculates about that situation, and thus one surrenders to it, not considering his present body. Similarly, by mental adjustments one dreams at night of living under different circumstances, in different bodies, and forgets his actual position. Under this same process, one gives up his present body and accepts another [tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ [Bg. 2.13]].</p>
</div>
<div class="purport text"><p>Transmigration of the soul is very clearly explained in this verse. One sometimes forgets his present body and thinks of his childhood body, a body of the past, and of how one was playing, jumping, talking and so on. When the material body is no long workable, it becomes dust: "For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." But when the body again mixes with the five material elements—earth, water, fire, air and ether—the mind continues to work. The mind is the subtle substance in which the body is created, as we actually experience in our dreams and also when we are awake in contemplation. One must understand that the process of mental speculation develops a new type of body that does not actually exist. If one can understand the nature of the mind (manorathena) and its thinking, feeling and willing, one can very easily understand how from the mind different types of bodies develop.</p>
<p>The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, therefore, offers a process of transcendental activities wherein the mind is fully absorbed in affairs pertaining to Kṛṣṇa. The presence of the soul is perceived by consciousness, and one must purify his consciousness from material to spiritual, or, in other words, to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That which is spiritual is eternal, and that which is material is temporary. Without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one's consciousness is always absorbed in temporary things. For everyone, therefore, Kṛṣṇa recommends in Bhagavad-gītā (9.34), man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru ([[Vanisource:BG 18.65 (1972)|BG 18.65]]). One should always be absorbed in thought of Kṛṣṇa, one should become His devotee, one should always engage in His service and worship Him as the supreme great, and one should always offer Him obeisances. In the material world one is always a servant of a greater person, and in the spiritual world our constitutional position is to serve the Supreme, the greatest, paraṁ brahma. This is the instruction of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Jīvera 'svarūpa' haya-kṛṣṇera 'nitya-dāsa' ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 20.108-109|CC Madhya 20.108]]).</p>
<p>To act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the perfection of life and the highest perfection of yoga. As Lord Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (6.47):</p>
:yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
:mad-gatenāntarātmanā
:śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
:sa me yuktatamo mataḥ
<p>"Of all yogīs, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all."</p>
<p>The condition of the mind, which flickers between saṅkalpa and vikalpa, accepting something and rejecting it, is very important in transferring the soul to another material body at the time of death.</p>
:yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ
:tyajaty ante kalevaram
:taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya
:sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ
<p>"Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail." ([[Vanisource:BG 8.6 (1972)|BG 8.6]]) Therefore one must train the mind in the system of bhakti-yoga, as did Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, who kept himself always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ ([[Vanisource:SB 9.4.18-20|SB 9.4.18]]). One must fix the mind at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day. If the mind is fixed upon Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, the activities of the other senses will be engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate: ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 19.170|CC Madhya 19.170]]) to serve Hṛṣīkeśa, the master of the senses, with purified senses is called bhakti. Those who constantly engage in devotional service are situated in a transcendental state, above the material modes of nature. As Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (14.26):</p>
:māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa
:bhakti-yogena sevate
:sa guṇān samatītyaitān
:brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
<p>"One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman." One must learn the secret of success from the Vedic literatures, especially when the cream of Vedic knowledge is presented by Bhagavad-gītā as it is.</p>
<p>Because the mind is ultimately controlled by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, the word apasmṛtiḥ is significant. Forgetfulness of one's own identity is called apasmṛtiḥ. This apasmṛtiḥ can be controlled by the Supreme Lord, for the Lord says, mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca: ([[Vanisource:BG 15.15 (1972)|BG 15.15]]) "From Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness." Instead of allowing one to forget one's real position, Kṛṣṇa can revive one's original identity at the time of one's death, even though the mind may be flickering. Although the mind may work imperfectly at the time of death, Kṛṣṇa gives a devotee shelter at His lotus feet. Therefore when a devotee gives up his body, the mind does not take him to another material body (tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti ([[Vanisource:BG 4.9 (1972)|BG 4.9]])); rather, Kṛṣṇa takes the devotee to that place where He is engaged in His pastimes (mām eti), as we have already discussed in previous verses. One's consciousness, therefore, must always be absorbed in Kṛṣṇa, and then one's life will be successful. Otherwise the mind will carry the soul to another material body. The soul will be placed in the semen of a father and discharged into the womb of a mother. The semen and ovum create a particular type of body according to the form of the father and mother, and when the body is mature, the soul emerges in that body and begins a new life. This is the process of transmigration of the soul from one body to another (tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 2.13 (1972)|BG 2.13]])). Unfortunately, those who are less intelligent think that when the body disappears, everything is finished. The entire world is being misled by such fools and rascals. But as stated in Bhagavad-gītā (2.20), na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre. The soul does not die when the body is destroyed. Rather, the soul takes on another body.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

Unfortunate, less intelligent persons, bereft of devotional service, cannot understand the Lord's activities, & therefore such persons describe these activities as kalpana-mythology or imagination-because they are rascals and the lowest of men - BG 7.15

2025-09-15T05:13:16Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Unfortunate, less intelligent persons, bereft of devotional service, cannot understand the Lord's activities, and therefore such persons describe these activities as kalpanā-mythology or imagination-because they are rascals and the lowest of men"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Nabakumar}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2021-02-18T14:48:01Z}}
{{last|2021-02-18T14:48:01Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=1|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Unfortunately Less Intelligent]]
[[Category:Bereft of Devotional Service to God]]
[[Category:Cannot Understand God]]
[[Category:Therefore]]
[[Category:Describing God's Activities]]
[[Category:Myth]]
[[Category:Imagination]]
[[Category:Because]]
[[Category:They Are]]
[[Category:Rascal]]
[[Category:Lowest of Men]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 10 Chapter 10 Purports - Deliverance of the Yamala-arjuna Trees]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10 Purports - Chapters 01 to 13]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
Kṛṣṇa appears as an incarnation when real spiritual life declines and when rogues and thieves increase to disturb the situation of the world. Unfortunate, less intelligent persons, bereft of devotional service, cannot understand the Lord's activities, and therefore such persons describe these activities as kalpanā-mythology or imagination-because they are rascals and the lowest of men (na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15)). Such men cannot understand that the events described by Vyāsadeva in the purāṇas and other śāstras are not fictitious or imaginary, but factual.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:SB 10.10.34-35|SB 10.10.34-35, Translation and Purport]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
Appearing in bodies like those of an ordinary fish, tortoise and hog, You exhibit activities impossible for such creatures to perform—extraordinary, incomparable, transcendental activities of unlimited power and strength. These bodies of Yours, therefore, are not made of material elements, but are incarnations of Your Supreme Personality. You are the same Supreme Personality of Godhead, who have now appeared, with full potency, for the benefit of all living entities within this material world.
</div>
<div class="text">
As stated in Bhagavad-gītā ([[Vanisource:BG 4.7 (1972)|BG 4.7-8]]):

<div class="quote_verse">
:yadā yadā hi dharmasya
:glānir bhavati bhārata
:abhyutthānam adharmasya
:tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham
</div>

:paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ

<div class="quote_verse">
:vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām
:dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya
:sambhavāmi yuge yuge
</div>

Kṛṣṇa appears as an incarnation when real spiritual life declines and when rogues and thieves increase to disturb the situation of the world. Unfortunate, less intelligent persons, bereft of devotional service, cannot understand the Lord's activities, and therefore such persons describe these activities as kalpanā-mythology or imagination-because they are rascals and the lowest of men (na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 7.15 (1972)|BG 7.15]])). Such men cannot understand that the events described by Vyāsadeva in the purāṇas and other śāstras are not fictitious or imaginary, but factual.

Kṛṣṇa, in His full, unlimited potency, here shows that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for although the two trees were so large and sturdy that even many elephants could not move them, Kṛṣṇa, as a child, exhibited such extraordinary strength that they fell down with a great sound. From the very beginning, by killing Pūtanā, Śakaṭāsura and Tṛṇāvartāsura, by causing the trees to fall, and by showing the entire universe within His mouth, Kṛṣṇa proved that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The lowest of men (mūḍhas), because of sinful activities, cannot understand this, but devotees can accept it without a doubt. Thus the position of a devotee is different from that of a nondevotee.
</div>
</div>
</div>

To discourage such imaginative speculation, He descends and exhibits Himself as He is, as Syamasundara. Unfortunately, the less intelligent deride Him because He comes as one of us and plays with us as a human being. BG 1972 Introduction

2025-09-15T05:09:44Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"To discourage such imaginative speculation, He descends and exhibits Himself as He is, as"|"Unfortunately, the less intelligent deride Him because He comes as one of us and plays with us as a human being"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|SharmisthaK}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2021-06-26T16:52:26Z}}
{{last|2021-06-26T16:52:26Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=1|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:God's Discouraging]]
[[Category:Imagining God]]
[[Category:Speculating about God]]
[[Category:God's Descending]]
[[Category:God's Exhibiting]]
[[Category:God Himself]]
[[Category:God As Syamasundara]]
[[Category:Unfortunately Less Intelligent]]
[[Category:Deriding God]]
[[Category:Because]]
[[Category:God's Coming]]
[[Category:One of Us]]
[[Category:God's Playing]]
[[Category:With]]
[[Category:God Acting Like an Ordinary Human Being]]
[[Category:Bhagavad-gita As It Is - 1972 Introduction]]
[[Category:Bhagavad-gita As It Is - 1972 Purports, Chapters 01 to 18 - Vaniquotes]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Bhagavad-gita As it is</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>BG Preface and Introduction</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
The Lord resides eternally in His abode Goloka, yet He can be approached from this world, and to this end the Lord comes to manifest His real form, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. When He manifests this form, there is no need for our imagining what He looks like. To discourage such imaginative speculation, He descends and exhibits Himself as He is, as Śyāmasundara. Unfortunately, the less intelligent deride Him because He comes as one of us and plays with us as a human being. But because of this we should not consider that the Lord is one of us. It is by His potency that He presents Himself in His real form before us and displays His pastimes, which are prototypes of those pastimes found in His abode.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:BG (1972) Introduction|BG (1972) Introduction]]
</div>
<div class="text">
<div class="quote_verse">
:oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya
:jñānāñjana-śalākayā
:cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena
:tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
</div>

:śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭaṁ

<div class="quote_verse">
:sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale
:svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ
:dadāti sva-padāntikam
</div>

I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him. When will Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?

<div class="quote_verse">
:vande 'haṁ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁ śrī-gurūn vaiṣṇavāṁś ca
:śrī-rūpaṁ sāgrajātaṁ saha-gaṇa-raghunāthānvitaṁ taṁ sa-jīvam
:sādvaitaṁ sāvadhūtaṁ parijana-sahitaṁ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-devaṁ
:śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pādān saha-gaṇa-lalitā-śrī-viśākhānvitāṁś ca
</div>

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and unto the feet of all Vaiṣṇavas. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī along with his elder brother Sanātana Gosvāmī, as well as Raghunātha Dāsa and Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa, and Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. I offer my respectful obeisances to Lord Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda along with Advaita Ācārya, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa, and other associates. I offer my respectful obeisances to Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and Śrī Kṛṣṇa along with Their associates Śrī Lalitā and Viśākhā.

<div class="quote_verse">
:he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho
:dīna-bandho jagat-pate
:gopeśa gopikā-kānta
:rādhā-kānta namo 'stu te
</div>

O my dear Kṛṣṇa, You are the friend of the distressed and the source of creation. You are the master of the gopīs and the lover of Rādhārāṇī. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.

<div class="quote_verse">
:tapta-kāñcana-gaurāṅgi
:rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari
:vṛṣabhānu-sute devi
:praṇamāmi hari-priye
</div>

I offer my respects to Rādhārāṇī, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Vṛndāvana. You are the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu, and You are very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

<div class="quote_verse">
:vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca
:kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca
:patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo
:vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ
</div>

I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṇava devotees of the Lord who can fulfill the desires of everyone, just like desire trees, and who are full of compassion for the fallen souls.

<div class="quote_verse">
:śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya
:prabhu-nityānanda
:śrī-advaita gadādhara
:śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
</div>

I offer my obeisances to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and all others in the line of devotion.

<div class="quote_verse">
:hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa
:kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
:hare rāma hare rāma
:rāma rāma hare hare
</div>

Bhagavad-gītā is also known as Gītopaniṣad. It is the essence of Vedic knowledge and one of the most important Upaniṣads in Vedic literature. Of course there are many commentaries in English on the Bhagavad-gītā, and one may question the necessity for another one. This present edition can be explained in the following way. Recently an American lady asked me to recommend an English translation of Bhagavad-gītā. Of course in America there are so many editions of Bhagavad-gītā available in English, but as far as I have seen, not only in America but also in India, none of them can be strictly said to be authoritative because in almost every one of them the commentator has expressed his own opinions without touching the spirit of Bhagavad-gītā as it is.

The spirit of Bhagavad-gītā is mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā itself. It is just like this: if we want to take a particular medicine, then we have to follow the directions written on the label. We cannot take the medicine according to our own whim or the direction of a friend. It must be taken according to the directions on the label or the directions given by a physician. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā should be taken or accepted as it is directed by the speaker himself. The speaker of Bhagavad-gītā is Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He is mentioned on every page of Bhagavad-gītā as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavān. Of course the word "bhagavān" sometimes refers to any powerful person or any powerful demigod, and certainly here Bhagavān designates Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as a great personality, but at the same time we should know that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as is confirmed by all great ācāryas (spiritual masters) like Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka Svāmī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and many other authorities of Vedic knowledge in India. The Lord Himself also establishes Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the Bhagavad-gītā, and He is accepted as such in the Brahma-saṁhitā and all the Purāṇas, especially the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, known as the Bhāgavata Purāṇa(Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam). Therefore we should take Bhagavad-gītā as it is directed by the Personality of Godhead Himself.

In the [[Vanisource:BG 4.1 (1972)|Fourth Chapter of the Gītā (4.1-3)]] the Lord says:

<div class="quote_verse">
:(1) imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam
:vivasvān manave prāha manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt
:
:(2) evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ
:sa kāleneha mahatā yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa
:
:(3) sa evāyaṁ mayā te 'dya yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ
:bhakto 'si me sakhā ceti rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam
:
Here the Lord informs Arjuna that this system of yoga, the Bhagavad-gītā, was first spoken to the sun-god, and the sun-god explained it to Manu, and Manu explained it to Ikṣvāku, and in that way, by disciplic succession, one speaker after another, this yoga system has been coming down. But in the course of time it has become lost. Consequently the Lord has to speak it again, this time to Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra.

He tells Arjuna that He is relating this supreme secret to him because he is His devotee and His friend. The purport of this is that Bhagavad-gītā is a treatise which is especially meant for the devotee of the Lord. There are three classes of transcendentalists, namely the jñānī, the yogī and the bhakta, or the impersonalist, the meditator and the devotee. Here the Lord clearly tells Arjuna that He is making him the first receiver of a new paramparā (disciplic succession) because the old succession was broken. It was the Lord's wish, therefore, to establish another paramparā in the same line of thought that was coming down from the sun-god to others, and it was His wish that His teaching be distributed anew by Arjuna. He wanted Arjuna to become the authority in understanding the Bhagavad-gītā. So we see that Bhagavad-gītā is instructed to Arjuna especially because Arjuna was a devotee of the Lord, a direct student of Kṛṣṇa, and His intimate friend. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā is best understood by a person who has qualities similar to Arjuna's. That is to say he must be a devotee in a direct relationship with the Lord. As soon as one becomes a devotee of the Lord, he also has a direct relationship with the Lord. That is a very elaborate subject matter, but briefly it can be stated that a devotee is in a relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in one of five different ways:
One may be a devotee in a passive state;One may be a devotee in an active state;One may be a devotee as a friend;One may be a devotee as a parent;One may be a devotee as a conjugal lover.
Arjuna was in a relationship with the Lord as friend. Of course there is a gulf of difference between this friendship and the friendship found in the material world. This is transcendental friendship which cannot be had by everyone. Of course everyone has a particular relationship with the Lord, and that relationship is evoked by the perfection of devotional service. But in the present status of our life, we have not only forgotten the Supreme Lord, but we have forgotten our eternal relationship with the Lord. Every living being, out of many, many billions and trillions of living beings, has a particular relationship with the Lord eternally. That is called svarūpa. By the process of devotional service, one can revive that svarūpa, and that stage is called svarūpa-siddhi-perfection of one's constitutional position. So Arjuna was a devotee, and he was in touch with the Supreme Lord in friendship.

How Arjuna accepted this Bhagavad-gītā should be noted. His manner of acceptance is given in the Tenth Chapter.

:(12) arjuna uvāca
:paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān
:puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam ādi-devam ajaṁ vibhum
:
:(13) āhus tvām ṛṣayaḥ sarve devarṣir nāradas tathā
:asito devalo vyāsaḥ svayaṁ caiva bravīṣi me
:
:14) sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye yan māṁ vadasi keśava
:na hi te bhagavan vyaktiṁ vidur devā na dānavāḥ
:
"Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal Divine Person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages like Nārada, Asita, Devala, and Vyāsa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me. O Kṛṣṇa, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me. Neither the gods nor demons, O Lord, know Thy personality." ([[Vanisource:BG 10.12-13 (1972)|BG. 10.12-14]]).

After hearing Bhagavad-gītā from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as Paraṁ Brahma, the Supreme Brahman. Every living being is Brahman, but the supreme living being, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the Supreme Brahman. Paraṁ dhāma means that He is the supreme rest or abode of everything, pavitram means that He is pure, untainted by material contamination, puruṣam means that He is the supreme enjoyer, divyam, transcendental, ādi-devam, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, ajam, the unborn, and vibhum, the greatest, the all-pervading.

Now one may think that because Kṛṣṇa was the friend of Arjuna, Arjuna was telling Him all this by way of flattery, but Arjuna, just to drive out this kind of doubt from the minds of the readers of Bhagavad-gītā, substantiates these praises in the next verse when he says that Kṛṣṇa is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead not only by himself but by authorities like the sage Nārada, Asita, Devala, Vyāsadeva and so on. These are great personalities who distribute the Vedic knowledge as it is accepted by all ācāryas. Therefore Arjuna tells Kṛṣṇa that he accepts whatever He says to be completely perfect. Sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye: "I accept everything You say to be true." Arjuna also says that the personality of the Lord is very difficult to understand and that He cannot be known even by the great demigods. This means that the Lord cannot even be known by personalities greater than human beings. So how can a human being understand Śrī Kṛṣṇa without becoming His devotee?

Therefore Bhagavad-gītā should be taken up in a spirit of devotion. One should not think that he is equal to Kṛṣṇa, nor should he think that Kṛṣṇa is an ordinary personality or even a very great personality. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, at least theoretically, according to the statements of Bhagavad-gītā or the statements of Arjuna, the person who is trying to understand the Bhagavad-gītā. We should therefore at least theoretically accept Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and with that submissive spirit we can understand the Bhagavad-gītā. Unless one reads the Bhagavad-gītā in a submissive spirit, it is very difficult to understand Bhagavad-gītā because it is a great mystery.

Just what is the Bhagavad-gītā? The purpose of Bhagavad-gītā is to deliver mankind from the nescience of material existence. Every man is in difficulty in so many ways, as Arjuna also was in difficulty in having to fight the Battle of Kurukṣetra. Arjuna surrendered unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and consequently this Bhagavad-gītā was spoken. Not only Arjuna, but every one of us is full of anxieties because of this material existence. Our very existence is in the atmosphere of nonexistence. Actually we are not meant to be threatened by nonexistence. Our existence is eternal. But somehow or other we are put into asat. Asat refers to that which does not exist.

Out of so many human beings who are suffering, there are a few who are actually inquiring about their position, as to what they are, why they are put into this awkward position and so on. Unless one is awakened to this position of questioning his suffering, unless he realizes that he doesn't want suffering but rather wants to make a solution to all sufferings, then one is not to be considered a perfect human being. Humanity begins when this sort of inquiry is awakened in one's mind. In the Brahma-sūtra this inquiry is called "brahma-jijñāsā." Every activity of the human being is to be considered a failure unless he inquires about the nature of the Absolute. Therefore those who begin to question why they are suffering or where they came from and where they shall go after death are proper students for understanding Bhagavad-gītā. The sincere student should also have a firm respect for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such a student was Arjuna.

Lord Kṛṣṇa descends specifically to reestablish the real purpose of life when man forgets that purpose. Even then, out of many, many human beings who awaken, there may be one who actually enters the spirit of understanding his position, and for him this Bhagavad-gītā is spoken. Actually we are all followed by the tiger of nescience, but the Lord is very merciful upon living entities, especially human beings. To this end He spoke the Bhagavad-gītā, making His friend Arjuna His student.

Being an associate of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna was above all ignorance, but Arjuna was put into ignorance on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra just to question Lord Kṛṣṇa about the problems of life so that the Lord could explain them for the benefit of future generations of human beings and chalk out the plan of life. Then man could act accordingly and perfect the mission of human life.

The subject of the Bhagavad-gītā entails the comprehension of five basic truths. First of all, the science of God is explained and then the constitutional position of the living entities, jīvas. There is īśvara, which means controller, and there are jīvas, the living entities which are controlled. If a living entity says that he is not controlled but that he is free, then he is insane. The living being is controlled in every respect, at least in his conditioned life. So in the Bhagavad-gītā the subject matter deals with the īśvara, the supreme controller, and the jīvas, the controlled living entities. Prakṛti (material nature) and time (the duration of existence of the whole universe or the manifestation of material nature) and karma (activity) are also discussed. The cosmic manifestation is full of different activities. All living entities are engaged in different activities. From Bhagavad-gītā we must learn what God is, what the living entities are, what prakrti is, what the cosmic manifestation is and how it is controlled by time, and what the activities of the living entities are.

Out of these five basic subject matters in Bhagavad-gītā it is established that the Supreme Godhead, or Kṛṣṇa, or Brahman, or supreme controller, or Paramātmā - you may use whatever name you like - is the greatest of all. The living beings are in quality like the supreme controller. For instance, the Lord has control over the universal affairs, over material nature, etc., as will be explained in the later chapters of Bhagavad-gītā. Material nature is not independant. She is acting under the directions of the Supreme Lord. As Lord Kṛṣṇa says, "Prakṛti is working under My direction." When we see wonderful things happening in the cosmic nature, we should know that behind this cosmic manifestation there is a controller. Nothing could be manifested without being controlled. It is childish not to consider the controller. For instance, a child may think that an automobile is quite wonderful to be able to run without a horse or other animal pulling it, but a sane man knows the nature of the automobile's engineering arrangement. He always knows that behind the machinery there is a man, a driver. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is a driver under whose direction everything is working. Now the jīvas, or the living entities, have been accepted by the Lord, as we will note in the later chapters, as His parts and parcels. A particle of gold is also gold, a drop of water from the ocean is also salty, and similarly, we the living entities, being part and parcel of the supreme controller, īsvara, or Bhagavān, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, have all the qualities of the Supreme Lord in minute quantity because we are minute īśvaras, subordinate īśvaras. We are trying to control nature, as presently we are trying to control space or planets, and this tendency to control is there because it is in Kṛṣṇa. But although we have a tendency to lord it over material nature, we should know that we are not the supreme controller. This is explained in Bhagavad-gītā.

What is material nature? This is also explained in Gītā as inferior prakṛti, inferior nature. The living entity is explained as the superior prakṛti. Prakṛti is always under control, whether inferior or superior. Prakṛti is female, and she is controlled by the Lord just as the activities of a wife are controlled by the husband. Prakṛti is always subordinate, predominated by the Lord, who is the predominator. The living entities and material nature are both predominated, controlled by the Supreme Lord. According to the Gītā, the living entities, although parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, are to be considered prakṛti. This is clearly mentioned in the Seventh Chapter, fifth verse of Bhagavad-gītā: "Apareyam itas tv anyām." "This prakṛti is My lower nature." "Prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat." And beyond this there is another prakṛti: jīva-bhūtām, the living entity.

Prakṛti itself is constituted by three qualities: the mode of goodness, the mode of passion and the mode of ignorance. Above these modes there is eternal time, and by a combination of these modes of nature and under the control and purview of eternal time there are activities which are called karma. These activities are being carried out from time immemorial, and we are suffering or enjoying the fruits of our activities. For instance, suppose I am a businessman and have worked very hard with intelligence and have amassed a great bank balance. Then I am an enjoyer. But then say I have lost all my money in business; then I am a sufferer. Similarly, in every field of life we enjoy the results of our work, or we suffer the results. This is called karma.

Īśvara (the Supreme Lord), jīva (the living entity),prakṛti (nature), eternal time and karma (activity) are all explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Out of these five, the Lord, the living entities, material nature and time are eternal. The manifestation of prakṛti may be temporary, but it is not false. Some philosophers say that the manifestation of material nature is false, but according to the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā or according to the philosophy of the Vaiṣṇavas, this is not so. The manifestation of the world is not accepted as false; it is accepted as real, but temporary. It is likened unto a cloud which moves across the sky, or the coming of the rainy season which nourishes grains. As soon as the rainy season is over and as soon as the cloud goes away, all the crops which were nourished by the rain dry up. Similarly, this material manifestation takes place at a certain interval, stays for a while and then disappears. Such are the workings of prakṛti But this cycle is working eternally. Therefore prakrti is eternal; it is not false. The Lord refers to this as "My prakṛti." This material nature is the separated energy of the Supreme Lord, and similarly the living entities are also the energy of the Supreme Lord, but they are not separated. They are eternally related. So the Lord, the living entity, material nature and time are all interrelated and are all eternal. However, the other item, karma, is not eternal. The effects of karma may be very old indeed. We are suffering or enjoying the results of our activities from time immemorial, but we can change the results of our karma, or our activity, and this change depends on the perfection of our knowledge. We are engaged in various activities. Undoubtedly we do not know what sort of activities we should adopt to gain relief from the actions and reactions of all these activities, but this is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā.

The position of īsvara is that of supreme consciousness. The jīvas, or the living entities, being parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, are also conscious. Both the living entity and material nature are explained as prakṛti, the energy of the Supreme Lord, but one of the two, the jīva, is conscious. The other prakṛti is not conscious. That is the difference. Therefore the jīva-prakṛti is called superior because the jīva has consciousness which is similar to the Lord's. The Lord's is supreme consciousness, however, and one should not claim that the jīva, the living entity, is also supremely conscious. The living being cannot be supremely conscious at any stage of his perfection, and the theory that he can be so is a misleading theory. Conscious he may be, but he is not perfectly or supremely conscious.

The distinction between the jīva and the īśvara will be explained in the Thirteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. The Lord is kṣetra-jñaḥ, conscious, as is the living being, but the living being is conscious of his particular body, whereas the Lord is conscious of all bodies. Because He lives in the heart of every living being, He is conscious of the psychic movements of the particular jīvas. We should not forget this. It is also explained that the Paramātmā, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is living in everyone's heart as īśvara, as the controller, and that He is giving directions for the living entity to act as he desires. The living entity forgets what to do. First of all he makes a determination to act in a certain way, and then he is entangled in the acts and reactions of his own karma. After giving up one type of body, he enters another type of body, as we put on and take off old clothes. As the soul thus migrates, he suffers the actions and reactions of his past activities. These activities can be changed when the living being is in the mode of goodness, in sanity, and understands what sort of activities he should adopt. If he does so, then all the actions and reactions of his past activities can be changed. Consequently, karma is not eternal. Therefore we stated that of the five items (īśvara, jīva, prakṛti time and karma) four are eternal, whereas karma is not eternal.

The supreme conscious īśvara is similar to the living entity in this way: both the consciousness of the Lord and that of the living entity are transcendental. It is not that consciousness is generated by the association of matter. That is a mistaken idea. The theory that consciousness develops under certain circumstances of material combination is not accepted in the Bhagavad-gītā. Consciousness may be pervertedly reflected by the covering of material circumstances, just as light reflected through colored glass may appear to be a certain color, but the consciousness of the Lord is not materially affected. Lord Kṛṣṇa says, "mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ." When He descends into the material universe, His consciousness is not materially affected. If He were so affected, He would be unfit to speak on transcendental matters as He does in the Bhagavad-gītā. One cannot say anything about the transcendental world without being free from materially contaminated consciousness. So the Lord is not materially contaminated. Our consciousness, at the present moment, however, is materially contaminated. The Bhagavad-gītā teaches that we have to purify this materially contaminated consciousness. In pure consciousness, our actions will be dovetailed to the will of īśvara, and that will make us happy. It is not that we have to cease all activities. Rather, our activities are to be purified, and purified activities are called bhakti. Activities in bhakti appear to be like ordinary activities, but they are not contaminated. An ignorant person may see that a devotee is acting or working like an ordinary man, but such a person with a poor fund of knowledge does not know that the activities of the devotee or of the Lord are not contaminated by impure consciousness or matter. They are transcendental to the three modes of nature. We should know, however, that at this point our consciousness is contaminated.

When we are materially contaminated, we are called conditioned. False consciousness is exhibited under the impression that I am a product of material nature. This is called false ego. One who is absorbed in the thought of bodily conceptions cannot understand his situation. Bhagavad-gītā was spoken to liberate one from the bodily conception of life, and Arjuna put himself in this position in order to receive this information from the Lord. One must become free from the bodily conception of life; that is the preliminary activity for the transcendentalist. One who wants to become free, who wants to become liberated, must first of all learn that he is not this material body. Mukti or liberation means freedom from material consciousness. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also the definition of liberation is given: Mukti means liberation from the contaminated consciousness of this material world and situation in pure consciousness. All the instructions of Bhagavad-gītā are intended to awaken this pure consciousness, and therefore we find at the last stage of the Gītā's instructions that Kṛṣṇa is asking Arjuna whether he is now in purified consciousness. Purified consciousness means acting in accordance with the instructions of the Lord. This is the whole sum and substance of purified consciousness. Consciousness is already there because we are part and parcel of the Lord, but for us there is the affinity of being affected by the inferior modes. But the Lord, being the Supreme, is never affected. That is the difference between the Supreme Lord and the conditioned souls.

What is this consciousness? This consciousness is "I am." Then what am I? In contaminated consciousness "I am" means "I am the lord of all I survey. I am the enjoyer." The world revolves because every living being thinks that he is the lord and creator of the material world. Material consciousness has two psychic divisions. One is that I am the creator, and the other is that I am the enjoyer. But actually the Supreme Lord is both the creator and the enjoyer, and the living entity, being part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, is neither the creator nor the enjoyer, but a cooperator. He is the created and the enjoyed. For instance, a part of a machine cooperates with the whole machine; a part of the body cooperates with the whole body. The hands, feet, eyes, legs and so on are all parts of the body, but they are not actually the enjoyers. The stomach is the enjoyer. The legs move, the hands supply food, the teeth chew and all parts of the body are engaged in satisfying the stomach because the stomach is the principal factor that nourishes the body's organization. Therefore everything is given to the stomach. One nourishes the tree by watering its root, and one nourishes the body by feeding the stomach, for if the body is to be kept in a healthy state, then the parts of the body must cooperate to feed the stomach. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is the enjoyer and the creator, and we, as subordinate living beings, are meant to cooperate to satisfy Him. This cooperation will actually help us, just as food taken by the stomach will help all other parts of the body. If the fingers of the hand think that they should take the food themselves instead of giving it to the stomach, then they will be frustrated. The central figure of creation and of enjoyment is the Supreme Lord, and the living entities are cooperators. By cooperation they enjoy. The relation is also like that of the master and the servant. If the master is fully satisfied, then the servant is satisfied. Similarly, the Supreme Lord should be satisfied, although the tendency to become the creator and the tendency to enjoy the material world are there also in the living entities because these tendencies are there in the Supreme Lord who has created the manifested cosmic world.

We shall find, therefore, in this Bhagavad-gītā that the complete whole is comprised of the supreme controller, the controlled living entities, the cosmic manifestation, eternal time, and karma, or activities, and all of these are explained in this text. All of these taken completely form the complete whole, and the complete whole is called the Supreme Absolute Truth. The complete whole and the complete Absolute Truth are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. All manifestations are due to His different energies. He is the complete whole.

It is also explained in the Gītā that impersonal Brahman is also subordinate to the complete. Brahman is more explicitly explained in the Brahma-sūtra to be like the rays of the sunshine. The impersonal Brahman is the shining rays of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Impersonal Brahman is incomplete realization of the absolute whole, and so also is the conception of Paramātmā in the Twelfth Chapter. There it shall be seen that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Puruṣottama, is above both impersonal Brahman and the partial realization of Paramātmā. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is called sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. The Brahma-saṁhitā begins in this way: īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ/anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam. "Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes. He is the primal cause, and He is the very form of eternal being, knowledge and bliss." Impersonal Brahman realization is the realization of His sat (being) feature. Paramātmā realization is the realization of the cit (eternal knowledge) feature. But realization of the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is realization of all the transcendental features: sat, cit and ānanda (being, knowledge, bliss) in complete vigraha (form).

People with less intelligence consider the Supreme Truth to be impersonal, but He is a transcendental person, and this is confirmed in all Vedic literatures. Nityo nityānām cetanaś cetanānām. As we are all individual living beings and have our individuality, the Supreme Absolute Truth is also, in the ultimate issue, a person, and realization of the Personality of Godhead is realization of all of the transcendental features. The complete whole is not formless. If He is formless, or if He is less than any other thing, then He cannot be the complete whole. The complete whole must have everything within our experience and beyond our experience, otherwise it cannot be complete. The complete whole, Personality of Godhead, has immense potencies.

How Kṛṣṇa is acting in different potencies is also explained in Bhagavad-gītā. This phenomenal world or material world in which we are placed is also complete in itself because the twenty-four elements of which this material universe is a temporary manifestation, according to Sāṅkhya philosophy, are completely adjusted to produce complete resources which are necessary for the maintenance and subsistence of this universe. There is nothing extraneous; nor is there anything needed. This manifestation has its own time fixed by the energy of the supreme whole, and when its time is complete, these temporary manifestations will be annihilated by the complete arrangement of the complete. There is complete facility for the small complete units, namely the living entities, to realize the complete, and all sorts of incompleteness are experienced due to incomplete knowledge of the complete. So Bhagavad-gītā contains the complete knowledge of Vedic wisdom.

All Vedic knowledge is infallible, and Hindus accept Vedic knowledge to be complete and infallible. For example, cow dung is the stool of an animal, and according to smṛti or Vedic injunction, if one touches the stool of an animal he has to take a bath to purify himself. But in the Vedic scriptures cow dung is considered to be a purifying agent. One might consider this to be contradictory, but it is accepted because it is Vedic injunction, and indeed by accepting this, one will not commit a mistake; subsequently it has been proved by modern science that cow dung contains all antiseptic properties. So Vedic knowledge is complete because it is above all doubts and mistakes, and Bhagavad-gītā is the essence of all Vedic knowledge.

Vedic knowledge is not a question of research. Our research work is imperfect because we are researching things with imperfect senses. We have to accept perfect knowledge which comes down, as is stated in Bhagavad-gītā, by the paramparā disciplic succession. We have to receive knowledge from the proper source in disciplic succession beginning with the supreme spiritual master, the Lord Himself, and handed down to a succession of spiritual masters. Arjuna, the student who took lessons from Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, accepts everything that He says without contradicting Him. One is not allowed to accept one portion of Bhagavad-gītā and not another. No. We must accept Bhagavad-gītā without interpretation, without deletion and without our own whimsical participation in the matter. The Gītā should he taken as the most perfect presentation of Vedic knowledge. Vedic knowledge is received from transcendental sources, and the first words were spoken by the Lord Himself. The words spoken by the Lord are different from words spoken by a person of the mundane world who is infected with four defects. A mundaner 1) is sure to commit mistakes, 2) is invariably illusioned, 3) has the tendency to cheat others and 4) is limited by imperfect senses. With these four imperfections, one cannot deliver perfect information of all-pervading knowledge.

Vedic knowledge is not imparted by such defective living entities. It was imparted unto the heart of Brahmā, the first created living being, and Brahmā in his turn disseminated this knowledge to his sons and disciples, as he originally received it from the Lord. The Lord is pūrṇam, all-perfect, and there is no possibility of His becoming subjected to the laws of material nature. One should therefore be intelligent enough to know that the Lord is the only proprietor of everything in the universe and that He is the original creator, the creator of Brahmā. In the Eleventh Chapter the Lord is addressed as prapitāmaha because Brahmā is addressed as pitāmaha, the grandfather, and He is the creator of the grandfather. So no one should claim to be the proprietor of anything; one should accept only things which are set aside for him by the Lord as his quota for his maintenance.

There are many examples given of how we are to utilize those things which are set aside for us by the Lord. This is also explained in Bhagavad-gītā. In the beginning, Arjuna decided that he should not fight in the Battle of Kurukṣetra. This was his own decision. Arjuna told the Lord that it was not possible for him to enjoy the kingdom after killing his own kinsmen. This decision was based on the body because he was thinking that the body was himself and that his bodily relations or expansions were his brothers, nephews, brothers-in-law, grandfathers and so on. He was thinking in this way to satisfy his bodily demands. Bhagavad-gītā was spoken by the Lord just to change this view, and at the end Arjuna decides to fight under the directions of the Lord when he says, "kariṣye vacanaṁ tava." "I shall act according to Thy word."

In this world man is not meant to toil like hogs. He must be intelligent to realize the importance of human life and refuse to act like an ordinary animal. A human being should realize the aim of his life, and this direction is given in all Vedic literatures, and the essence is given in Bhagavad-gītā. Vedic literature is meant for human beings, not for animals. Animals can kill other living animals, and there is no question of sin on their part, but if a man kills an animal for the satisfaction of his uncontrolled taste, he must be responsible for breaking the laws of nature. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly explained that there are three kinds of activities according to the different modes of nature: the activities of goodness, of passion and of ignorance. Similarly, there are three kinds of eatables also: eatables in goodness, passion and ignorance. All of this is clearly described, and if we properly utilize the instructions of Bhagavad-gītā, then our whole life will become purified, and ultimately we will be able to reach the destination which is beyond this material sky.

That destination is called the sanātana sky, the eternal spiritual sky. In this material world we find that everything is temporary. It comes into being, stays for some time, produces some by-products, dwindles and then vanishes. That is the law of the material world, whether we use as an example this body, or a piece of fruit or anything. But beyond this temporary world there is another world of which we have information. This world consists of another nature which is sanātana, eternal. Jīva is also described as sanātana, eternal, and the Lord is also described as sanātana in the Eleventh Chapter. We have an intimate relationship with the Lord, and because we are all qualitatively one - the sanātana-dhāma, or sky, the sanātana Supreme Personality and the sanātana living entities - the whole purpose of Bhagavad-gītā is to revive our sanātana occupation, or sanātana-dharma, which is the eternal occupation of the living entity. We are temporarily engaged in different activities, but all of these activities can be purified when we give up all these temporary activities and take up the activities which are prescribed by the Supreme Lord. That is called our pure life.

The Supreme Lord and His transcendental abode are both sanātana, as are the living entities, and the combined association of the Supreme Lord and the living entities in the sanātana abode is the perfection of human life. The Lord is very kind to the living entities because they are His sons. Lord Kṛṣṇa declares in Bhagavad-gītā, "sarva-yoniṣu...ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā." "I am the father of all." Of course there are all types of living entities according to their various karmas, but here the Lord claims that He is the father of all of them. Therefore the Lord descends to reclaim all of these fallen, conditioned souls to call them back to the sanātana eternal sky so that the sanātana living entities may regain their eternal sanātana positions in eternal association with the Lord. The Lord comes Himself in different incarnations, or He sends His confidential servants as sons or His associates or ācāryas to reclaim the conditioned souls.

Therefore, sanātana-dharma does not refer to any sectarian process of religion. It is the eternal function of the eternal living entities in relationship with the eternal Supreme Lord. Sanātana-dharma refers, as stated previously, to the eternal occupation of the living entity. Rāmānujācārya has explained the word sanātana as "that which has neither beginning nor end," so when we speak of sanātana-dharma, we must take it for granted on the authority of Śrī Rāmānujācārya that it has neither beginning nor end.

The English word "religion" is a little different from sanātana-dharma. Religion conveys the idea of faith, and faith may change. One may have faith in a particular process, and he may change this faith and adopt another, but sanātana-dharma refers to that activity which cannot be changed. For instance, liquidity cannot be taken from water, nor can heat be taken from fire. Similarly, the eternal function of the eternal living entity cannot be taken from the living entity. Sanātana-dharma is eternally integral with the living entity. When we speak of sanātana-dharma, therefore, we must take it for granted on the authority of Śrī Rāmānujācārya that it has neither beginning nor end. That which has neither end nor beginning must not be sectarian, for it cannot be limited by any boundaries. Yet those belonging to some sectarian faith will wrongly consider that sanātana-dharma is also sectarian, but if we go deeply into the matter and consider it in the light of modern science, it is possible for us to see that sanātana-dharma is the business of all the people of the world - nay, of all the living entities of the universe.

Non-sanātana religious faith may have some beginning in the annals of human history, but there is no beginning to the history of sanātana-dharma because it remains eternally with the living entities. Insofar as the living entities are concerned, the authoritative śāstras state that the living entity has neither birth nor death. In the Gītā it is stated that the living entity is never born, and he never dies. He is eternal and indestructible, and he continues to live after the destruction of his temporary material body. In reference to the concept of sanātana-dharma, we must try to understand the concept of religion from the Sanskrit root meaning of the word. Dharma refers to that which is constantly existing with the particular object. We conclude that there is heat and light along with the fire; without heat and light, there is no meaning to the word fire. Similarly, we must discover the essential part of the living being, that part which is his constant companion. That constant companion is his eternal quality, and that eternal quality is his eternal religion.

When Sanātana Gosvāmī asked Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu about the svarūpa of every living being, the Lord replied that the svarūpa or constitutional position of the living being is the rendering of service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If we analyze this statement of Lord Caitanya, we can easily see that every living being is constantly engaged in rendering service to another living being. A living being serves other living beings in two capacities. By doing so, the living entity enjoys life. The lower animals serve human beings as servants serve their master. A serves B master, B serves C master and C serves D master and so on. Under these circumstances, we can see that one friend serves another friend, the mother serves the son, the wife serves the husband, the husband serves the wife and so on. If we go on searching in this spirit, it will be seen that there is no exception in the society of living beings to the activity of service. The politician presents his manifesto for the public to convince them of his capacity for service. The voters therefore give the politician their valuable votes, thinking that he will render valuable service to society. The shopkeeper serves the customer, and the artisan serves the capitalist. The capitalist serves the family, and the family serves the state in the terms of the eternal capacity of the eternal living being. In this way we can see that no living being is exempt from rendering service to other living beings, and therefore we can safely conclude that service is the constant companion of the living being and that the rendering of service is the eternal religion of the living being.

Yet man professes to belong to a particular type of faith with reference to particular time and circumstance and thus claims to be a Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or any other sect. Such designations are non-sanātana-dharma. A Hindu may change his faith to become a Muslim, or a Muslim may change his faith to become a Hindu, or a Christian may change his faith and so on. But in all circumstances the change of religious faith does not effect the eternal occupation of rendering service to others. The Hindu, Muslim or Christian in all circumstances is servant of someone. Thus, to profess a particular type of sect is not to profess one's sanātana-dharma. The rendering of service is sanātana-dharma.

Factually we are related to the Supreme Lord in service. The Supreme Lord is the supreme enjoyer, and we living entities are His servitors. We are created for His enjoyment, and if we participate in that eternal enjoyment with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we become happy. We cannot become happy otherwise. It is not possible to be happy independantly, just as no one part of the body can be happy without cooperating with the stomach. It is not possible for the living entity to be happy without rendering transcendental loving service unto the Supreme Lord.

In the Bhagavad-gītā, worship of different demigods or rendering service to them is not approved. It is stated in the Seventh Chapter, twentieth verse:

:kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante 'nya-devatāḥ
:taṁ taṁ niyamam āsthāya prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā
</div>

"Those whose minds are distorted by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures." ([[Vanisource:BG 7.20 (1972)|BG. 7.20]]) Here it is plainly said that those who are directed by lust worship the demigods and not the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. When we mention the name Kṛṣṇa, we do not refer to any sectarian name. Kṛṣṇa means the highest pleasure, and it is confirmed that the Supreme Lord is the reservoir or storehouse of all pleasure. We are all hankering after pleasure. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. (Vs. 1.1.12) The living entities, like the Lord, are full of consciousness, and they are after happiness. The Lord is perpetually happy, and if the living entities associate with the Lord, cooperate with Him and take part in His association, then they also become happy.

The Lord descends to this mortal world to show His pastimes in Vṛndāvana, which are full of happiness. When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was in Vṛndāvana, His activities with His cowherd boy friends, with His damsel friends, with the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana and with the cows were all full of happiness. The total population of Vṛndāvana knew nothing but Kṛṣṇa. But Lord Kṛṣṇa even discouraged His father Nanda Mahārāja from worshiping the demigod Indra because He wanted to establish the fact that people need not worship any demigod. They need only worship the Supreme Lord because their ultimate goal is to return to His abode.

The abode of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, Fifteenth Chapter, sixth verse:

<div class="quote_verse">
:na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ
:yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama
</div>

"That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity. And anyone who reaches it never comes back to this material world." ([[Vanisource:BG 15.6 (1972)|BG. 15.6]])

This verse gives a description of that eternal sky. Of course we have a material conception of the sky, and we think of it in relationship to the sun, moon, stars and so on, but in this verse the Lord states that in the eternal sky there is no need for the sun nor for the moon nor fire of any kind because the spiritual sky is already illuminated by the brahma-jyotir, the rays emanating from the Supreme Lord. We are trying with difficulty to reach other planets, but it is not difficult to understand the abode of the Supreme Lord. This abode is referred to as Goloka. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is beautifully described: Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ. The Lord resides eternally in His abode Goloka, yet He can be approached from this world, and to this end the Lord comes to manifest His real form, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. When He manifests this form, there is no need for our imagining what He looks like. To discourage such imaginative speculation, He descends and exhibits Himself as He is, as Śyāmasundara. Unfortunately, the less intelligent deride Him because He comes as one of us and plays with us as a human being. But because of this we should not consider that the Lord is one of us. It is by His potency that He presents Himself in His real form before us and displays His pastimes, which are prototypes of those pastimes found in His abode.

In the effulgent rays of the spiritual sky there are innumerable planets floating. The brahma-jyotir emanates from the supreme abode, Kṛṣṇaloka, and the ānandamaya-cinmaya planets, which are not material, float in those rays. The Lord says, na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama. One who can approach that spiritual sky is not required to descend again to the material sky. In the material sky, even if we approach the highest planet (Brahmaloka), what to speak of the moon, we will find the same conditions of life, namely birth, death, disease and old age. No planet in the material universe is free from these four principles of material existence. Therefore the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna. The living entities are traveling from one planet to another, not by mechanical arrangement but by a spiritual process. This is also mentioned: yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ. No mechanical arrangement is necessary if we want interplanetary travel. The Gītā instructs: yānti deva-vratā devān. The moon, the sun and higher planets are called svargaloka. There are three different statuses of planets: higher, middle and lower planetary systems. The earth belongs to the middle planetary system. Bhagavad-gītā informs us how to travel to the higher planetary systems (devaloka) with a very simple formula: yānti deva-vratā devān. One need only worship the particular demigod of that particular planet and in that way go to the moon, the sun or any of the higher planetary systems.

Yet Bhagavad-gītā does not advise us to go to any of the planets in this material world because even if we go to Brahmaloka, the highest planet, through some sort of mechanical contrivance by maybe traveling for forty thousand years (and who would live that long?), we will still find the material inconveniences of birth, death, disease and old age. But one who wants to approach the supreme planet, Kṛṣṇaloka, or any of the other planets within the spiritual sky, will not meet with these material inconveniences. Amongst all of the planets in the spiritual sky there is one supreme planet called Goloka Vṛndāvana, which is the original planet in the abode of the original Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa. All of this information is given in Bhagavad-gītā, and we are given through its instruction information how to leave the material world and begin a truly blissful life in the spiritual sky.

In the Fifteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, the real picture of the material world is given. It is said there:

<div class="quote_verse">
:ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śākham aśvatthaṁ prāhur avyayam
:chandāṁsi yasya parṇāni yas taṁ veda sa veda-vit::
</div>

"The Supreme Lord said: There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches down, and the Vedic hymns are its leaves. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas." ([[Vanisource:BG 15.1 (1972)|Bg. 15.1]]) Here the material world is described as a tree whose roots are upwards and branches are below. We have experience of a tree whose roots are upward: if one stands on the bank of a river or any reservoir of water, he can see that the trees reflected in the water are upside down. The branches go downward and the roots upward. Similarly, this material world is a reflection of the spiritual world. The material world is but a shadow of reality. In the shadow there is no reality or substantiality, but from the shadow we can understand that there is substance and reality. In the desert there is no water, but the mirage suggests that there is such a thing as water. In the material world there is no water, there is no happiness, but the real water of actual happiness is there in the spiritual world.

The Lord suggests that we attain the spiritual world in the following manner:

<div class="quote_verse">
:nirmāna-mohā jita-saṅga-doṣā
:adhyātma-nityā vinivṛtta-kāmāḥ
:dvandvair vimuktāḥ sukha-duḥkha-saṁjñair
:gacchanty amūḍhāḥ padam avyayaṁ tat
</div>

That padam avyayam or eternal kingdom can be reached by one who is nirmāna-moha. What does this mean? We are after designations. Someone wants to become a son, someone wants to become Lord, someone wants to become the president or a rich man or a king or something else. As long as we are attached to these designations, we are attached to the body because designations belong to the body. But we are not these bodies, and realizing this is the first stage in spiritual realization. We are associated with the three modes of material nature, but we must become detached through devotional service to the Lord. If we are not attached to devotional service to the Lord, then we cannot become detached from the modes of material nature. Designations and attachments are due to our lust and desire, our wanting to lord it over the material nature. As long as we do not give up this propensity of lording it over material nature, there is no possibility of returning to the kingdom of the Supreme, the sanātana-dhāma. That eternal kingdom, which is never destroyed, can be approached by one who is not bewildered by the attractions of false material enjoyments, who is situated in the service of the Supreme Lord. One so situated can easily approach that supreme abode.

Elsewhere in the Gītā it is stated:

<div class="quote_verse">
:avyakto 'kṣara ity uktas tam āhuḥ paramāṁ gatim
:yaṁ prāpya na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama
</div>

Avyakta means unmanifested. Not even all of the material world is manifested before us. Our senses are so imperfect that we cannot even see all of the stars within this material universe. In Vedic literature we can receive much information about all the planets, and we can believe it or not believe it. All of the important planets are described in Vedic literatures, especially Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and the spiritual world, which is beyond this material sky, is described as avyakta, unmanifested. One should desire and hanker after that supreme kingdom, for when one attains that kingdom, he does not have to return to this material world.

Next, one may raise the question of how one goes about approaching that abode of the Supreme Lord. Information of this is given in the Eighth Chapter. It is said there:

<div class="quote_verse">
:anta-kāle ca mām eva smaran muktvā kalevaram
:yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvam yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ
</div>

"Anyone who quits his body, at the end of life, remembering Me, attains immediately to My nature; and there is no doubt of this." ([[Vanisource:BG 8.5 (1972)|BG. 8.5]]) One who thinks of Kṛṣṇa at the time of his death goes to Kṛṣṇa. One must remember the form of Kṛṣṇa; if he quits his body thinking of this form, he approaches the spiritual kingdom. Mad-bhāvaṁ refers to the supreme nature of the Supreme Being. The Supreme Being is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha - eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. Our present body is not sac-cid-ānanda. It is asat, not sat. It is not eternal; it is perishable. It is not cit, full of knowledge, but it is full of ignorance. We have no knowledge of the spiritual kingdom, nor do we even have perfect knowledge of this material world where there are so many things unknown to us. The body is also nirānanda; instead of being full of bliss it is full of misery. All of the miseries we experience in the material world arise from the body, but one who leaves this body thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead at once attains a sac-cid-ānanda body, as is promised in this fifth verse of the Eighth Chapter where Lord Kṛṣṇa says, "He attains My nature."

The process of quitting this body and getting another body in the material world is also organized. A man dies after it has been decided what form of body he will have in the next life. Higher authorities, not the living entity himself, make this decision. According to our activities in this life, we either rise or sink. This life is a preparation for the next life. If we can prepare, therefore, in this life to get promotion to the kingdom of God, then surely, after quitting this material body, we will attain a spiritual body just like the Lord.

As explained before, there are different kinds of transcendentalists, the brahmavādi paramātmāvādi and the devotee, and, as mentioned, in the brahma-jyotir (spiritual sky) there are innumerable spiritual planets. The number of these planets is far, far greater than all of the planets of this material world. This material world has been approximated as only one quarter of the creation. In this material segment there are millions and billions of universes with trillions of planets and suns, stars and moons. But this whole material creation is only a fragment of the total creation. Most of the creation is in the spiritual sky. One who desires to merge into the existence of the Supreme Brahman is at once transferred to the brahma-jyotir of the Supreme Lord and thus attains the spiritual sky. The devotee, who wants to enjoy the association of the Lord, enters into the Vaikuṇṭha planets, which are innumerable, and the Supreme Lord by His plenary expansions as Nārāyaṇa with four hands and with different names like Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Govinda, etc., associates with him there. Therefore at the end of life the transcendentalists either think of the brahma-jyotir, the Paramātmā or the Supreme Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In all cases they enter into the spiritual sky, but only the devotee, or he who is in personal touch with the Supreme Lord, enters into the Vaikuṇṭha planets. The Lord further adds that of this "there is no doubt." This must be believed firmly. We should not reject that which does not tally with our imagination; our attitude should be that of Arjuna: "I believe everything that You have said." Therefore when the Lord says that at the time of death whoever thinks of Him as Brahman or Paramātmā or as the Personality of Godhead certainly enters into the spiritual sky, there is no doubt about it. There is no question of disbelieving it.

The information on how to think of the Supreme Being at the time of death is also given in the Gītā:

<div class="quote_verse">
:yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram
:taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ
</div>

"In whatever condition one quits his present body, in his next life he will attain to that state of being without fail." ([[Vanisource:BG 8.6 (1972)|BG. 8.6]]) Material nature is a display of one of the energies of the Supreme Lord. In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa the total energies of the Supreme Lord as Viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā proktā, etc., are delineated. The Supreme Lord has diverse and innumerable energies which are beyond our conception; however, great learned sages or liberated souls have studied these energies and have analyzed them into three parts. All of the energies are of Viṣṇu-śakti, that is to say they are different potencies of Lord Viṣṇu. That energy is parā, transcendental. Living entities also belong to the superior energy, as has already been explained. The other energies, or material energies, are in the mode of ignorance. At the time of death we can either remain in the inferior energy of this material world, or we can transfer to the energy of the spiritual world.

In life we are accustomed to thinking either of the material or the spiritual energy. There are so many literatures which fill our thoughts with the material energy - newspapers, novels, etc. Our thinking, which is now absorbed in these literatures, must be transferred to the Vedic literatures. The great sages, therefore, have written so many Vedic literatures such as the Purāṇas, etc. The Purāṇas are not imaginative; they are historical records. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta there is the following verse:

<div class="quote_verse">
:māyā mugdha jīver nāhi svataḥ kṛṣṇa-jñāna
:jīvera kṛpāya kailā kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa
:([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 20.122|CC Madhya 20.122]])
</div>

The forgetful living entities or conditioned souls have forgotten their relationship with the Supreme Lord, and they are engrossed in thinking of material activities. Just to transfer their thinking power to the spiritual sky, Kṛṣṇa has given a great number of Vedic literatures. First He divided the Vedas into four, then He explained them in the Purāṇas, and for less capable people He wrote the Mahābhārata. In the Mahābhārata there is given the Bhagavad-gītā. Then all Vedic literature is summarized in the Vedānta-sūtra, and for future guidance He gave a natural commentation on the Vedānta-sutra, called Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. We must always engage our minds in reading these Vedic literatures. Just as materialists engage their minds in reading newspapers, magazines and so many materialistic literatures, we must transfer our reading to these literatures which are given to us by Vyāsadeva; in that way it will be possible for us to remember the Supreme Lord at the time of death. That is the only way suggested by the Lord, and He guarantees the result: "There is no doubt." ([[Vanisource:BG 8.7 (1972)|BG. 8.7]])

<div class="quote_verse">
:tasmāt sarveṣu kāleṣu mām anusmara yudhya ca
:mayy arpita-mano-buddhir mām evaiṣyasy asaṁśayaḥ
</div>

"Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me, and at the same time you should continue your prescribed duty and fight. With your mind and activities always fixed on Me, and everything engaged in Me, you will attain to Me without any doubt."

He does not advise Arjuna to simply remember Him and give up his occupation. No, the Lord never suggests anything impractical. In this material world, in order to maintain the body one has to work. Human society is divided, according to work, into four divisions of social order - brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. The brāhmaṇa class or intelligent class is working in one way, the kṣatriya or administrative class is working in another way, and the mercantile class and the laborers are all tending to their specific duties. In the human society, whether one is a laborer, merchant, warrior, administrator, or farmer, or even if one belongs to the highest class and is a literary man, a scientist or a theologian, he has to work in order to maintain his existence. The Lord therefore tells Arjuna that he need not give up his occupation, but while he is engaged in his occupation he should remember Kṛṣṇa. If he doesn't practice remembering Kṛṣṇa while he is struggling for existence, then it will not be possible for him to remember Kṛṣṇa at the time of death. Lord Caitanya also advises this. He says that one should practice remembering the Lord by chanting the names of the Lord always. The names of the Lord and the Lord are nondifferent. So Lord Kṛṣṇa's instruction to Arjuna to "remember Me" and Lord Caitanya's injunction to always "chant the names of Lord Kṛṣṇa" are the same instruction. There is no difference, because Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name are nondifferent. In the absolute status there is no difference between reference and referent. Therefore we have to practice remembering the Lord always, twenty-four hours a day, by chanting His names and molding our life's activities in such a way that we can remember Him always.

How is this possible? The ācāryas give the following example. If a married woman is attached to another man, or if a man has an attachment for a woman other than his wife, then the attachment is to be considered very strong. One with such an attachment is always thinking of the loved one. The wife who is thinking of her lover is always thinking of meeting him, even while she is carrying out her household chores. In fact, she carries out her household work even more carefully so her husband will not suspect her attachment. Similarly, we should always remember the supreme lover, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and at the same time perform our material duties very nicely. A strong sense of love is required here. If we have a strong sense of love for the Supreme Lord, then we can discharge our duty and at the same time remember Him. But we have to develop that sense of love. Arjuna, for instance, was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa; he was the constant companion of Kṛṣṇa, and at the same time he was a warrior. Kṛṣṇa did not advise him to give up fighting and go to the forest to meditate. When Lord Kṛṣṇa delineates the yoga system to Arjuna, Arjuna says that the practice of this system is not possible for him.

<div class="quote_verse">
:arjuna uvāca
:yo 'yaṁ yogas tvayā proktaḥ sāmyena madhusūdana
:etasyāhaṁ na paśyāmi cañcalatvāt sthitiṁ sthirām
</div>

"Arjuna said, O Madhusūdana, the system of yoga which you have summarized appears impractical and unendurable to me, for the mind is restless and unsteady." ([[Vanisource:BG 6.33 (1972)|BG. 6.33]])

But the Lord says:

<div class="quote_verse">
:yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā
:śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ sa me yuktatamo mataḥ
</div>

"Of all yogīs, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga, and is the highest of all." ([[Vanisource:BG 6.47 (1972)|BG. 6.47]]) So one who thinks of the Supreme Lord always is the greatest yogī, the supermost jñānī, and the greatest devotee at the same time. The Lord further tells Arjuna that as a kṣatriya he cannot give up his fighting, but if Arjuna fights remembering Kṛṣṇa, then he will be able to remember Him at the time of death. But one must be completely surrendered in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.

We work not with our body, actually, but with our mind and intelligence. So if the intelligence and the mind are always engaged in the thought of the Supreme Lord, then naturally the senses are also engaged in His service. Superficially, at least, the activities of the senses remain the same, but the consciousness is changed. The Bhagavad-gītā teaches one how to absorb the mind and intelligence in the thought of the Lord. Such absorption will enable one to transfer himself to the kingdom of the Lord. If the mind is engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, then the senses are automatically engaged in His service. This is the art, and this is also the secret of Bhagavad-gītā: total absorption in the thought of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Modern man has struggled very hard to reach the moon, but he has not tried very hard to elevate himself spiritually. If one has fifty years of life ahead of him, he should engage that brief time in cultivating this practice of remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This practice is the devotional process of:

<div class="quote_verse">
:śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
:arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
</div>

These nine processes, of which the easiest is śravaṇaṁ, hearing Bhagavad-gītā from the realized person, will turn one to the thought of the Supreme Being. This will lead to niścala, remembering the Supreme Lord, and will enable one, upon leaving the body, to attain a spiritual body which is just fit for association with the Supreme Lord.

The Lord further says:

<div class="quote_verse">
:abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena cetasā nānya-gāminā
:paramaṁ puruṣaṁ divyaṁ yāti pārthānucintayan
</div>

"By practicing this remembering, without being deviated, thinking ever of the Supreme Godhead, one is sure to achieve the planet of the Divine, the Supreme Personality, O son of Kuntī." ([[Vanisource:BG 8.8 (1972)|BG. 8.8]])

This is not a very difficult process. However, one must learn it from an experienced person, from one who is already in the practice. The mind is always flying to this and that, but one must always practice concentrating the mind on the form of the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa or on the sound of His name. The mind is naturally restless, going hither and thither, but it can rest in the sound vibration of Kṛṣṇa. One must thus meditate on paramaṁ puruṣaṁ, the Supreme Person; and thus attain Him. The ways and the means for ultimate realization, ultimate attainment, are stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, and the doors of this knowledge are open for everyone. No one is barred out. All classes of men can approach the Lord by thinking of Him, for hearing and thinking of Him is possible for everyone.

The Lord further says:

<div class="quote_verse">
:māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
:striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim
</div>

:kiṁ punar brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyā bhaktā rājarṣayas tathā

<div class="quote_verse">
:anityam asukhaṁ lokam imaṁ prāpya bhajasva mām

"O son of Pṛthā, anyone who will take shelter in Me, whether a woman, or a merchant, or one born in a low family, can yet approach the supreme destination. How much greater then are the brāhmaṇas, the righteous, the devotees, and saintly kings! In this miserable world, these are fixed in devotional service to the Lord." ([[Vanisource:BG 9.32 (1972)|BG. 9.32-33]])

Human beings even in the lower statuses of life (a merchant, a woman or a laborer) can attain the Supreme. One does not need highly developed intelligence. The point is that anyone who accepts the principle of bhakti-yoga and accepts the Supreme Lord as the summum bonum of life, as the highest target, the ultimate goal, can approach the Lord in the spiritual sky. If one adopts the principles enunciated in Bhagavad-gītā, he can make his life perfect and make a perfect solution to all the problems of life which arise out of the transient nature of material existence. This is the sum and substance of the entire Bhagavad-gītā.

In conclusion, Bhagavad-gīta is a transcendental literature which one should read very carefully. It is capable of saving one from all fear.

:nehābhikrama-nāśo 'sti pratyavāyo na vidyate
:svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt
</div>

"In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear." ([[Vanisource:BG 2.40 (1972)|BG. 2.40]]) If one reads Bhagavad-gītā sincerely and seriously, then all of the reactions of his past misdeeds will not react upon him. In the last portion of Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa proclaims:

<div class="quote_verse">
:sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
:ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
</div>

"Give up all varieties of religiousness, and just surrender unto Me; and in return I shall protect you from all sinful reactions. Therefore, you have nothing to fear." ([[Vanisource:BG 18.66 (1972)|BG. 18.66]]) Thus the Lord takes all responsibility for one who surrenders unto Him, and He indemnifies all the reactions of sin.

One cleanses himself daily by taking a bath in water, but one who takes his bath only once in the sacred Ganges water of the Bhagavad-gītā cleanses away all the dirt of material life. Because Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one need not read any other Vedic literature. One need only attentively and regularly hear and read Bhagavad-gītā. In the present age, mankind is so absorbed with mundane activities that it is not possible to read all of the Vedic literatures. But this is not necessary. This one book, Bhagavad-gītā, will suffice because it is the essence of all Vedic literatures and because it is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is said that one who drinks the water of the Ganges certainly gets salvation, but what to speak of one who drinks the waters of Bhagavad-gītā? Gītā is the very nectar of the Mahābhārata spoken by Viṣṇu Himself, for Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original Viṣṇu. It is nectar emanating from the mouth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the Ganges is said to be emanating from the lotus feet of the Lord. Of course there is no difference between the mouth and the feet of the Supreme Lord, but in our position we can appreciate that the Bhagavad-gītā is even more important than the Ganges.

The Bhagavad-gītā is just like a cow, and Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is a cowherd boy, is milking this cow. The milk is the essence of the Vedas, and Arjuna is just like a calf. The wise men, the great sages and pure devotees, are to drink the nectarean milk of Bhagavad-gītā.

In this present day, man is very eager to have one scripture, one God, one religion, and one occupation. So let there be one common scripture for the whole world - Bhagavad-gītā. And let there be one God only for the whole world - Śrī Kṛṣṇa. And one mantra only - Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. And let there be one work only - the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
THE DISCIPLIC SUCCESSION
Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. ([[Vanisource:BG 4.2 (1972)|Bhagavad-gīta, 4.2]]) This Bhagavad-gītā As It Is is received through this disciplic succession:

1) Kṛṣṇa, 2) Brahmā, 3) Nārada; 4) Vyāsa, 5) Madhva, 6) Padmanābha, 7) Nṛhari, 8) Mādhava, 9) Akṣobhya, 10) Jayatīrtha, 11) Jñānasindhu, 12) Dayānidhi, 13) Vidyānidhi, 14) Rājendra, 15) Jayadharma, 16) Puruṣottama, 17) Brahmaṇyatīrtha, 18) Vyāsatīrtha, 19) Lakṣmīpati, 20) Mādhavendra Purī, 21) Īśvara Purī, (Nityānanda, Advaita), 22) Lord Caitanya, 23) Rūpa (Svarūpa, Sanātana), 24) Raghunātha, Jīva, 25) Kṛṣṇadāsa, 26) Narottama, 27) Viśvanātha, 28) (Baladeva) Jagannātha, 29) Bhaktivinode, 30) Gaurakiśora, 31) Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, 32) His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.
</div>
</div>
</div>

Your (JaiGovinda) attitude of humbleness is praiseworthy. A devotee should always remain humble and meek especially to the authorities and devotees

2025-07-16T08:55:05Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Your attitude of humbleness is praiseworthy. A devotee should always remain humble and meek especially to the authorities and devotees"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|BhavesvariRadhika}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2022-11-21T11:19:31Z}}
{{last|2022-11-21T11:19:31Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=1}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Our Attitude (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Our Humility (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Praiseworthy]]
[[Category:We Should (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:We Must Always (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Our Remaining (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Humble and Meek‎]]
[[Category:Especially]]
[[Category:Authority]]
[[Category:Devotee]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Correspondence</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>1968 Correspondence</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
Your attitude of humbleness is praiseworthy. A devotee should always remain humble and meek especially to the authorities and devotees. Lord Chaitanya's philosophy is not to become God, but to become servant, servant, servant of God. The more one becomes the lower grade servant of the Lord, the more he is devoted nearer to the Lord.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:680208 - Letter to Jayagovinda written from Los Angeles|680208 - Letter to Jayagovinda written from Los Angeles]]
</div>
<div class="text">
My Dear JaiGovinda,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you very much for your letter dated Feb. 5. Your attitude of humbleness is praiseworthy. A devotee should always remain humble and meek especially to the authorities and devotees. Lord Chaitanya's philosophy is not to become God, but to become servant, servant, servant of God. The more one becomes the lower grade servant of the Lord, the more he is devoted nearer to the Lord. This is our philosophy. I have all my hearty blessings upon you, please do your duties nicely, and Krishna will be pleased to shower His Blessings upon you. He is very kind to sincere souls, and He gives intelligence from within to sincere devotees. We require only to become sincere in the service of the Lord, then everything is there ready for our convenience.
</div>
</div>
</div>

Women are generally after sense gratification. That is the disease. Chant 24 hours a day and don't dress nicely to attract men. It is better that you don't make a large program. Remain a humble program. In bhakti there is no grotesque program

2025-07-16T08:48:10Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"women are generally after sense gratification. That is the disease. Chant 24 hours a day and don't dress nicely to attract men. It is better that you don't make a large program. Remain a humble program. In bhakti there is no grotesque program"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|SharmisthaK}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2023-05-16T12:44:35Z}}
{{last|2023-05-16T12:44:35Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=1}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Women in General]]
[[Category:Generally]]
[[Category:Sense Gratification]]
[[Category:That Is]]
[[Category:Disease]]
[[Category:Our Chanting (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Twenty-four Hours]]
[[Category:Day]]
[[Category:Do Not]]
[[Category:Dress]]
[[Category:Nicely]]
[[Category:Attract]]
[[Category:Men]]
[[Category:It Is Better To]]
[[Category:Make]]
[[Category:Large]]
[[Category:Program]]
[[Category:Remaining Humble]]
[[Category:Bhakti - Devotional Service to God]]
[[Category:There Is No]]
[[Category:Sense Gratification and Women]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Correspondence</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>1976 Correspondence</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
Yes, you are right, women are generally after sense gratification. That is the disease. Chant 24 hours a day and don't dress nicely to attract men. It is better that you don't make a large program. Remain a humble program. In bhakti there is no grotesque program. A humble program is better.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:760113 - Letter to Yamuna and Dinatarine written from Calcutta|760113 - Letter to Yamuna and Dinatarine written from Calcutta]]
</div>
<div class="text">
I am very pleased to see the nice photos of your Deities Radha Vanabehari. The singasana has also come out very nicely.

You can attract the fair sex community. Most of them are frustrated being without any home or husband. If you can organize all these girls they will get a transcendental engagement and may not be allured to the frustration of life. Your engagement should be chanting and worship of the Deity Jiva Goswami advises that in the Kaliyuga sankirtana is the principle worship. Even if one chants many mantras it must be preceded by glorious sankirtana. Sankirtana is the maha-mantra.

Yes, you are right, women are generally after sense gratification. That is the disease. Chant 24 hours a day and don't dress nicely to attract men. It is better that you don't make a large program. Remain a humble program. In bhakti there is no grotesque program. A humble program is better. We are doing all these grotesque programs to allure the masses. My Guru Maharaj used to say that no one hears from a person coming from a humble, simple life. You remain always very humble.

So far as giving loans, I think it won't be possible because in India we require a huge amount of money for Bombay and Mayapur. We also have to build nice Temples at Kuruksetra and Jagannatha Puri. The Americans are accused of being C.I.A., so counteract this. We want to prove how Americans have constructed very large temples. Certainly it is not for C.I.A. propaganda.

Sita Devi, Mother Laksmi, wife of Lord Ramachandra, went to live with Valmiki Muni in a cottage. Although she was a King's daughter and a King's wife, she preferred to live very humbly in the cottage of Valmiki Muni with two sons in the absence of Ramachandra. That should be the ideal example. Women when not with husband must live very very humbly and simple life.
</div>
</div>
</div>

These rascals becomes God, and the maya kicks on the face, and they think that they have become God. Don't become like that. Always remain humble servant, and you will be happy

2025-07-16T08:38:23Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"These rascals becomes God, and the māyā kicks on the face, and they think that they have become God. Don't become like that. Always remain humble servant, and you will be happy"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Nabakumar}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2022-11-20T07:39:48Z}}
{{last|2022-11-20T07:39:48Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=1|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:These]]
[[Category:Rascal]]
[[Category:Becoming God]]
[[Category:Maya the Illusory Energy]]
[[Category:Kick on the Face]]
[[Category:Kicked By Maya]]
[[Category:Thoughts of Rascals]]
[[Category:They Have]]
[[Category:Do Not Become]]
[[Category:Becoming Like]]
[[Category:Like That]]
[[Category:Always Remain]]
[[Category:Remaining Humble]]
[[Category:Remaining a Servant]]
[[Category:Humble Servants]]
[[Category:You Will Be]]
[[Category:Becoming Happy]]
[[Category:Pages Needing Audio - NABAKUMAR]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Lectures</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
So kindly . . . I am very pleased that you are doing nicely. But don't be proud. Always remain humble, meek, that "I am nothing. I cannot . . ." That will be nice. And if you think, "Now I have become liberated. I can chant and dance," no, don't think like that. Just like even Caitanya-caritāmṛta author, he says, purīṣera kīṭa haite muñi se laghiṣṭha (CC Adi 5.205): "I am lower than the worm in the stool." Jagāi mādhāi haite muñi se pāpiṣṭha: "I am more sinner than Jagāi-Mādhāi." In this way . . . That is not artificial. A Vaiṣṇava must think like that, that "I am rotten. I have no value." Don't be proud. Then the things will go on nicely. And as soon as you become proud, then māyā—"Yes, you are God. Come on. I will kick you on your face. Come on." (chuckles) (laughter) These rascals becomes God, and the māyā kicks on the face, and they think that they have become God. Don't become like that. Always remain humble servant, and you will be happy.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:750803 - Lecture SB 06.01.50 - Detroit|750803 - Lecture SB 06.01.50 - Detroit]]
</div>
<div class="text">
To understand Kṛṣṇa is not so easy thing. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu After many, many millions of persons, one tries to become siddha. Siddha means to understand what he is, jñāna. That is brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā ([[Vanisource:BG 18.54 (1972)|BG 18.54]]). And yatatām api siddhānām . . . ([[Vanisource:BG 7.3 (1972)|BG 7.3]]). Just like there are two classes of transcendentalist: the Māyāvādī and the Vaiṣṇava. That is all over the world. So Māyāvādī, they are supposed to be siddhas. They are not siddha, but they are trying to become siddha, to understand the spiritual position. Neti neti: "I am not this; I am not this; I am not this." But they are not siddhas. Siddhas, when they will understand that vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 7.19 (1972)|BG 7.19]]), when they will understand Kṛṣṇa, that "Kṛṣṇa is everything," sa mahātmā, that mahātmā, not this ordinary mahātmā, "Nārāyaṇa, namo nārāyaṇa . . ." He is ordinary. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. Very rare mahātmā. Who is? Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā ([[Vanisource:BG 7.19 (1972)|BG 7.19]]): "Vasudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is everything." That is siddha. Siddha. And again, yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 7.3 (1972)|BG 7.3]]).

So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is very kind, that without considering whether he is a siddha or viddha or anything else, "Let them take kṛṣṇa-prema." Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī prayed to Caitanya Mahāprabhu,

<div class="quote_verse">
:namo mahā-vadānyāya
:kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te
:kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-
:nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ
:(CC Madhya 19.53)
</div>

He understood that "Here is Kṛṣṇa, but He has come now in the most liberal way. Everyone He is giving kṛṣṇa-prema." How? "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, dance, and become a lover of Kṛṣṇa." So nice. Simply by chanting and dancing, one is becoming . . . Practical, it is. All these boys and girls, four or five years ago they did not know who is Kṛṣṇa. That is surprising to everyone. The whole world is praising this movement because they see practically that how these European-American boys and girls are so much, I mean, absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṇa. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's gift. Namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te, kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne (CC Madhya 19.53).

So very simple thing. Don't think I have played something wonder. No, it is not my wonder. The process is wonderful, the process itself. You have to simply accept; then your life will be successful. It is not that "Bhaktivedanta Swami has brought this." They say. They give me the credit. That is my good fortune also. But actually I am just like a peon. I have brought, but I am delivering it without any adulteration. That may be my credit. And if you take it without any adulteration and practice it, then your life is successful. This is the secret of success. Chant, dance, take prasādam, live very happily and look very brilliant, and next life go to home, back to Godhead.

So kindly . . . I am very pleased that you are doing nicely. But don't be proud. Always remain humble, meek, that "I am nothing. I cannot . . ." That will be nice. And if you think, "Now I have become liberated. I can chant and dance," no, don't think like that. Just like even Caitanya-caritāmṛta author, he says, purīṣera kīṭa haite muñi se laghiṣṭha (CC Adi 5.205): "I am lower than the worm in the stool." Jagāi mādhāi haite muñi se pāpiṣṭha: "I am more sinner than Jagāi-Mādhāi." In this way . . . That is not artificial. A Vaiṣṇava must think like that, that "I am rotten. I have no value." Don't be proud. Then the things will go on nicely. And as soon as you become proud, then māyā—"Yes, you are God. Come on. I will kick you on your face. Come on." (chuckles) (laughter) These rascals becomes God, and the māyā kicks on the face, and they think that they have become God. Don't become like that. Always remain humble servant, and you will be happy.
</div>
</div>
</div>

Ramananda Raya said that: It doesn't require of any change. Simply if people giving up his own endeavor to understand what is God, what is life. Simply if he remains humbly and hears from the real authority, then by hearing only he can conquer Ajita

2025-07-16T08:34:55Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Rāmānanda Rāya said that"|"It doesn't require of any change. Simply if people giving up his own endeavor to understand what is God, what is life"|"simply if he remains humbly and hears from the real authority"|"simply if he remains humbly and hears from the real authority"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Nabakumar}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2022-08-14T14:02:59Z}}
{{last|2022-08-14T14:02:59Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=1|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:When]]
[[Category:Ramananda Raya]]
[[Category:Said by Devotees of God]]
[[Category:Does Not]]
[[Category:Not Require]]
[[Category:No Change]]
[[Category:Simply]]
[[Category:People]]
[[Category:Give Up]]
[[Category:Endeavor]]
[[Category:Understanding God]]
[[Category:What Is God]]
[[Category:Life]]
[[Category:Remaining Humble]]
[[Category:Hear From]]
[[Category:Real Authority]]
[[Category:Only]]
[[Category:Conquering God]]
[[Category:God As Ajita]]
[[Category:Pages Needing Audio - NABAKUMAR]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Lectures</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
Simply by becoming devotees of Vāsudeva, vāsudeva-parāyaṇa, everything can be adjusted. When Rāmānanda Rāya answered Caitanya Mahāprabhu about the systematic society of human being, Caitanya Mahāprabhu rejected. He said eho bāhya āge kaha āra (CC Madhya 8.59). So Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied, quoting from other verses from śāstra, karma-tyāga, sannyāsa. In this way, step by step. But when he said that sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ . . . (SB 10.14.3). When Rāmānanda Rāya said that "It doesn't require of any change. Simply if people giving up his own endeavor to understand what is God, what is life—simply if he remains humbly and hears from the real authority—then by hearing only he can conquer Ajita." Ajita is Bhagavān.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:770122 - Lecture BG 07.01 - Bhuvanesvara|770122 - Lecture BG 07.01 - Bhuvanesvara]]
</div>
<div class="text">
The human society is meant for not only inquiring Brahman but to worship Brahman, Para-brahman. That is human society.

So there is necessity of the four classes. At the present moment they are trying to create classless society. That is chaotic society. That is not real society. That is not Vedic civilization. Vedic civilization means when there is classified society begins: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. And without this classification, the whole society will remain in chaotic condition. Just like the comparison is given, mukha-bāhūru pādebhyaḥ ([[Vanisource:SB 11.5.2|SB 11.5.2]]). Just like in our body there is mouth, there is ūru, there is leg, there is bāhu. These divisions are required. Mukha means brāhmaṇa, bāhu means kṣatriya, and ūru means the vaiśya, and pāda means śūdra. The body can be maintained when four things are properly maintained. So these things are required, and they should be classified by varṇā . . . I mean to say, quality and work. In this way we have to organize society. Then there will be no scarcity of real human being. Otherwise they will remain as animal.

So a systematic society means varṇāśrama-dharma. But there is another way. That is another way, that is called transcendental society, or Vaiṣṇava society. As it is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata,

<div class="quote_verse">
:kecit kevalayā bhaktyā
:vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ
:aghaṁ dhunvanti kārtsnyena
:nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ
:([[Vanisource:SB 6.1.15|SB 6.1.15]])
</div>

Simply by becoming devotees of Vāsudeva, vāsudeva-parāyaṇa, everything can be adjusted. When Rāmānanda Rāya answered Caitanya Mahāprabhu about the systematic society of human being, Caitanya Mahāprabhu rejected. He said eho bāhya āge kaha āra ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 8.59|CC Madhya 8.59]]). So Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied, quoting from other verses from śāstra, karma-tyāga, sannyāsa. In this way, step by step. But when he said that sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ . . . ([[Vanisource:SB 10.14.3|SB 10.14.3]]). When Rāmānanda Rāya said that "It doesn't require of any change. Simply if people giving up his own endeavor to understand what is God, what is life—simply if he remains humbly and hears from the real authority—then by hearing only he can conquer Ajita." Ajita is Bhagavān.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving chance to everyone to hear from the authoritative sources, from the śāstra. Sādhu śāstra guru. These are authorities. So instead of hearing from the unauthorized persons, means . . . sādhu means who speaks on the basis of śāstra. Guru means who speaks on the basis of śāstra. They're sādhu guru śāstra. And śāstra means the statement of authorities. That is śāstra. Just like Bhagavad-gītā: it is śāstra because it is spoken by the supreme guru, Kṛṣṇa. So who is guru? At the present moment so many unauthorized persons are presenting themselves as guru. But you should be very careful. Guru, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 7.128|CC Madhya 7.128]]). He says that "I order you that you become guru. So. and your business is to deliver this country." "This country" means wherever you are living, you can become guru and deliver them. And one may say that "You are asking me to become guru, but I have no qualification." A sincere man will say like that: "How can I become guru, and how can I deliver this country?" Caitanya Mahāprabhu says it is not difficult: yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 7.128|CC Madhya 7.128]]). Kṛṣṇa-upadeśa, there are two kṛṣṇa-upadeśa. One kṛṣṇa-upadeśa is what Kṛṣṇa is speaking personally, Bhagavad-gītā; and the other kṛṣṇa-upadeśa, what Vyāsadeva is speaking about Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa sa upadeśa or kṛṣṇena upadeśa. Kṛṣṇena upadeśa—Bhagavad-gītā. And instruction about Kṛṣṇa is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
</div>
</div>
</div>

Now you please arrange it so that the Deities are worshiped very very properly and always remain humble in their presence

2025-07-16T08:31:03Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Now you please arrange it so that the Deities are worshiped very very properly and always remain humble in their presence"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Visnu Murti}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|26Nov12}}
{{last|26Nov12}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=1}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:We (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Please (Request)]]
[[Category:Our Arrangements (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:So That]]
[[Category:Deity Worship]]
[[Category:Very Very]]
[[Category:Properly]]
[[Category:Always Remain]]
[[Category:Remaining Humble]]
[[Category:Our Humility (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Krsna's Presence]]
[[Category:God's Presence]]
</div>
<div id="Correspondence" class="section" sec_index="6" parent="compilation" text="Correspondence"><h2>Correspondence</h2>
</div>
<div id="1973_Correspondence" class="sub_section" sec_index="8" parent="Correspondence" text="1973 Correspondence"><h3>1973 Correspondence</h3>
</div>
<div id="LettertoNityanandaSydney18February1973_0" class="quote" parent="1973_Correspondence" book="Let" index="76" link="Letter to Nityananda -- Sydney 18 February, 1973" link_text="Letter to Nityananda -- Sydney 18 February, 1973">
<div class="heading">Now you please arrange it so that the Deities are worshiped very very properly and always remain humble in their presence.
</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Letter to Nityananda -- Sydney 18 February, 1973|Letter to Nityananda -- Sydney 18 February, 1973]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">My dear Nityananda,</p>
<p>Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated February 5th. with the enclosed daksine and I thank you for the same. Again I am feeling overjoyed at hearing of your increased distribution program and I request that you increase more and more. There can be no limit to our distribution because Krishna is unlimited therefore devotional service to Krishna is also unlimited, so you may instruct the devotees there about this.</p>
<p>Regarding your proposal for having Ratha Yatra in New Orleans I request that you consult with the GBC in your zone, Satsvarupa das Goswami and ask him to discuss this matter with the other GBC men there in America. But one thing is very important. If you decide to do it, then you must do it very opulently, as they are doing in San Francisco. This is very important.</p>
<p>I am approving of the first initiation of Debra Hillard. However it is not our policy to give first and second initiations at once. It is better she wait some time. Her new name will be DEBRAJA DASI and also I am agreeing to the second initiation of Shanti dasi. Now you please arrange it so that the Deities are worshiped very very properly and always remain humble in their presence.</p>
<p>I am here in Australia and everything is going nicely. I will be returning to India by March 2nd. and then to America by mid-April and I look forward to seeing you again. I hope this finds you in good health.</p>
<p>Your ever well-wisher,</p>
<p>A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami</p>
<p>P.S. You may hold one fire ceremony and Shanti dasi may listen to the Gayatri tape in her right ear. Enclosed please find one Gayatri slip for her.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

In the paramahamsa stage one conquers the desire for sleep, food and sense gratification. One remains a humble, meek mendicant engaged in the service of the Lord day and night. Madhavendra Puri had attained this paramahamsa stage

2025-07-16T08:28:06Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"In the paramahaṁsa stage one conquers the desire for sleep, food and sense gratification. One remains a humble, meek mendicant engaged in the service of the Lord day and night. Mādhavendra Purī had attained this paramahaṁsa stage"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Nabakumar}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2021-04-16T11:45:02Z}}
{{last|2021-04-16T11:45:02Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=1|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Paramahamsa - Devotees of God]]
[[Category:Stages of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:One (as in someone)]]
[[Category:Conquering of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Conquering Sleep]]
[[Category:Desires of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Sleeping of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Remaining Humble]]
[[Category:Humbleness of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Meekness of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Devotees of God Are Very Humble and Meek‎]]
[[Category:Engaging in God's Service]]
[[Category:Day and Night]]
[[Category:Madhavendra Puri]]
[[Category:Attain]]
[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila Chapter 04 Purports - Sri Madhavendra Puri's Devotional Service]]
[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila Purports]]
[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 62 Chapters, All Purports]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Sri Caitanya-caritamrta</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>CC Madhya-lila</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
A paramahaṁsa simply engages exclusively in the service of the Lord without caring even for eating or sleeping. It was stated about the six Gosvāmīs: nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. In the paramahaṁsa stage one conquers the desire for sleep, food and sense gratification. One remains a humble, meek mendicant engaged in the service of the Lord day and night. Mādhavendra Purī had attained this paramahaṁsa stage.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:CC Madhya 4.123|CC Madhya 4.123, Translation and Purport]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
Mādhavendra Purī avoided begging. He was completely unattached and indifferent to material things. If, without his begging, someone offered him some food, he would eat; otherwise he would fast.
</div>
<div class="text">
This is the paramahaṁsa stage, the highest stage for a sannyāsī. A sannyāsī can beg from door to door just to collect food, but a paramahaṁsa who has taken ayācita-vṛtti, or ājagara-vṛtti, does not ask anyone for food. If someone offers him food voluntarily, he eats. Ayācita-vṛtti means being accustomed to refrain from begging, and ājagara-vṛtti indicates one who is compared to a python, the big snake that makes no effort to acquire food but rather allows food to come automatically within its mouth. In other words, a paramahaṁsa simply engages exclusively in the service of the Lord without caring even for eating or sleeping. It was stated about the six Gosvāmīs: nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. In the paramahaṁsa stage one conquers the desire for sleep, food and sense gratification. One remains a humble, meek mendicant engaged in the service of the Lord day and night. Mādhavendra Purī had attained this paramahaṁsa stage.
</div>
</div>
</div>

Do not fight with anyone, try to remain always very humble and meek like the advanced Vaisnava devotee, always thinking yourself lower than the straw in the street and more tolerant than the tree

2025-07-16T08:09:30Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Do not fight with anyone, try to remain always very humble and meek like the advanced Vaisnava devotee"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Visnu Murti}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|30Aug10}}
{{last|13Dec10}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=1}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:We Do Not (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Our Fighting With Each Other (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Anyone (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:We Are Trying To (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Remaining Humble]]
[[Category:Our Humility (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Humble and Meek]]
[[Category:Advanced Devotees of God]]
[[Category:Vaisnava (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Vaisnava - Devotees of God]]
[[Category:Our Devotees of God (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Devotees of God Always]]
[[Category:Always Thinking]]
[[Category:Thoughts of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Ourself (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Lower than the Straw in the Street]]
[[Category:More]]
[[Category:Our Tolerance (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Tolerance of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Devotees of God Should Be More Tolerant than the Tree]]
[[category:Prabhupada and Training]]
</div>
<div id="Correspondence" class="section" sec_index="6" parent="compilation" text="Correspondence"><h2>Correspondence</h2>
</div>
<div id="1972_Correspondence" class="sub_section" sec_index="7" parent="Correspondence" text="1972 Correspondence"><h3>1972 Correspondence</h3>
</div>
<div id="LettertoGargamuniLosAngeles24August1972_0" class="quote" parent="1972_Correspondence" book="Let" index="454" link="Letter to Gargamuni -- Los Angeles 24 August, 1972" link_text="Letter to Gargamuni -- Los Angeles 24 August, 1972">
<div class="heading">Do not fight with anyone, try to remain always very humble and meek like the advanced Vaisnava devotee, always thinking yourself lower than the straw in the street and more tolerant than the tree, and in this way very quickly you will be come relieved of so many anxieties.
</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Letter to Gargamuni -- Los Angeles 24 August, 1972|Letter to Gargamuni -- Los Angeles 24 August, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">I have received your letter from Vrndavana dated 15th July 1972 and I have noted the contents carefully. You may know that I am no longer in London but I am in Los Angeles and New Vrndavana for the month of September. I am going back to India by the 15th of October. So you have stayed so long in India, if you can remain there one and one half months more kindly remain there and wait for me. When I come there you will stay with me. Meanwhile if it is possible you try to work in conjunction with Gurudasa on the Vrndavana Project because I think you have got real interest to see that it is completed very nicely. If however you are unable to work with Gurudasa, otherwise you sit down and wait for me there. Do not fight with anyone, try to remain always very humble and meek like the advanced Vaisnava devotee, always thinking yourself lower than the straw in the street and more tolerant than the tree, and in this way very quickly you will be come relieved of so many anxieties. When we shall meet in October, then we shall chalk out some plan further.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

Do not eat luxurious dishes or dress in fine garments, but always remain humble and serve Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha-Krsna in your heart of hearts

2025-07-16T08:05:09Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Do not eat luxurious dishes or dress in fine garments, but always remain humble and serve Their Lordships Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in your heart of hearts"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|HanumanIC}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2017-05-13T00:16:23Z}}
{{last|2017-05-13T00:16:23Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=1|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Do Not]]
[[Category:Eating]]
[[Category:Luxury]]
[[Category:Dishes]]
[[Category:Dress]]
[[Category:Fine]]
[[Category:Garments]]
[[Category:Always]]
[[Category:Remaining Humble]]
[[Category:Serving Krsna]]
[[Category:Serving God]]
[[Category:Krsna's Lordship]]
[[Category:Radha-Krsna]]
[[Category:Your]]
[[Category:In The Heart]]
[[Category:The Nectar of Instruction - Text 01]]
[[Category:The Nectar of Instruction Texts 01 to 11]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Other Books by Srila Prabhupada</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>Nectar of Instruction</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
Do not think of women even in dreams. You have accepted the renounced order of life with a vow that forbids you to associate with women. If you wish to associate with Caitanya Mahāprabhu, you must always remember the incident of Choṭa Haridāsa and how he was rejected by the Lord. Do not eat luxurious dishes or dress in fine garments, but always remain humble and serve Their Lordships Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in your heart of hearts.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:NOI 1|Nectar of Instruction 1, Translation and Purport]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind's demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world.
</div>
<div class="text">
As far as the urges of the genitals are concerned, there are two—proper and improper, or legal and illicit sex. When a man is properly mature, he can marry according to the rules and regulations of the śāstras and use his genitals for begetting nice children. That is legal and religious. Otherwise, he may adopt many artificial means to satisfy the demands of the genitals, and he may not use any restraint. When one indulges in illicit sex life, as defined by the śāstras, either by thinking, planning, talking about or actually having sexual intercourse, or by satisfying the genitals by artificial means, he is caught in the clutches of māyā. These instructions apply not only to householders but also to tyāgīs, or those who are in the renounced order of life. In his book Prema-vivarta, Chapter Seven, Śrī Jagadānanda Paṇḍita says:

<div class="quote_verse">
:vairāgī bhāi grāmya-kathā nā śunibe kāne
:grāmya-vārtā nā kahibe yabe milibe āne
:svapane o nā kara bhāi strī-sambhāṣaṇa
:gṛhe strī chāḍiyā bhāi āsiyācha vana
</div>

<div class="quote_verse">
:yadi cāha praṇaya rākhite gaurāṅgera sane
:choṭa haridāsera kathā thāke yena mane
:bhāla nā khāibe āra bhāla nā paribe
:hṛdayete rādhā-kṛṣṇa sarvadā sevibe
</div>

"My dear brother, you are in the renounced order of life and should not listen to talk about ordinary worldly things, nor should you talk about worldly things when you meet with others. Do not think of women even in dreams. You have accepted the renounced order of life with a vow that forbids you to associate with women. If you wish to associate with Caitanya Mahāprabhu, you must always remember the incident of Choṭa Haridāsa and how he was rejected by the Lord. Do not eat luxurious dishes or dress in fine garments, but always remain humble and serve Their Lordships Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in your heart of hearts."

The conclusion is that one who can control these six items—speech, mind, anger, tongue, belly and genitals—is to be called a svāmī or gosvāmī. Svāmī means master, and gosvāmī means master of the go, or senses. When one accepts the renounced order of life, he automatically assumes the title of svāmī. This does not mean that he is the master of his family, community or society; he must be master of his senses. Unless one is master of his senses, he should not be called gosvāmī, but go-dāsa, servant of the senses. Following in the footsteps of the six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana, all svāmīs and gosvāmīs should fully engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. As opposed to this, the go-dāsas engage in the service of the senses or in the service of the material world. They have no other engagement. Prahlāda Mahārāja has further described the go-dāsa as adānta-go, which refers to one whose senses are not controlled. An adānta-go cannot become a servant of Kṛṣṇa. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam ([[Vanisource:SB 7.5.30|SB 7.5.30]]), Prahlāda Mahārāja has said:

<div class="quote_verse">
:matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā
:mitho 'bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām
:adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ
:punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām
</div>

"For those who have decided to continue their existence in this material world for the gratification of their senses, there is no chance of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious, not by personal endeavor, by instruction from others or by joint conferences. They are dragged by the unbridled senses into the darkest region of ignorance, and thus they madly engage in what is called 'chewing the chewed.'"
</div>
</div>
</div>

Devotees are compared to high mountains, which are never agitated in any way, even when struck by powerful torrents of rain in the rainy season. Rather, such devotees remain humble in spiritual enlightenment

2025-07-16T08:01:38Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"devotees are compared to high mountains, which are never agitated in any way, even when struck by powerful torrents of rain in the rainy season. Rather, such devotees remain humble in spiritual enlightenment"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Nabakumar}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2021-12-04T12:41:54Z}}
{{last|2021-12-04T12:41:54Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=1|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Compared To...]]
[[Category:High]]
[[Category:Mountains]]
[[Category:Which Are]]
[[Category:Devotees of God Are Never]]
[[Category:Agitation of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Any Way]]
[[Category:Even When]]
[[Category:Powerful]]
[[Category:Torrents]]
[[Category:Rain]]
[[Category:Four Months of the Rainy Season]]
[[Category:Rather]]
[[Category:Humbleness of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Remaining Humble]]
[[Category:Spiritual Enlightenment]]
[[Category:Light of the Bhagavata Chapters 01 to 48]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Other Books by Srila Prabhupada</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>Light of the Bhagavata</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
A true devotee of the Lord always considers these sufferings to be due to past sinful activities, and thus without becoming disturbed he patiently awaits the mercy of the Supreme Lord. Such devotees are compared to high mountains, which are never agitated in any way, even when struck by powerful torrents of rain in the rainy season. Rather, such devotees remain humble in spiritual enlightenment. Free from pride and envy, they easily gain the mercy of the Lord and go back home, back to Godhead.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:LOB 12|Light of the Bhagavata 12, Translation and Purport]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
The mountains, although being struck by torrents of rain during the rainy season, are not shaken, just as those whose hearts are dedicated to the transcendental Personality of Godhead are never disturbed, even when harassed by great misfortune.
</div>
<div class="text">
Because a person who is spiritually advanced accepts any adverse condition of life as the mercy of the Lord, he is completely eligible to enter into the spiritual kingdom. Even though a person takes to the devotional service of the Supreme Lord, he may sometimes become diseased, impoverished, or disappointed by life's events. A true devotee of the Lord always considers these sufferings to be due to past sinful activities, and thus without becoming disturbed he patiently awaits the mercy of the Supreme Lord. Such devotees are compared to high mountains, which are never agitated in any way, even when struck by powerful torrents of rain in the rainy season. Rather, such devotees remain humble in spiritual enlightenment. Free from pride and envy, they easily gain the mercy of the Lord and go back home, back to Godhead.
</div>
</div>
</div>

When one (neophyte devotee) is promoted to the next platform of transcendental consciousness, one can understand the importance of mahatmas and devotees, and in that stage one tries to please them

2025-07-16T07:40:19Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"when one is promoted to the next platform of transcendental consciousness, one can understand the importance of mahatmas and devotees, and in that stage one tries to please them"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Krsnadas}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|27Jun12}}
{{last|27Jun12}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=1|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:When One]]
[[Category:Neophyte Devotees of God]]
[[Category:Neophyte Stage]]
[[Category:Promotion]]
[[Category:Next]]
[[Category:Transcendental Platform]]
[[Category:Transcendental Consciousness]]
[[Category:One Can]]
[[Category:Can Understand]]
[[Category:Importance]]
[[Category:Mahatma - Devotees of God]]
[[Category:Understanding of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Stage]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Pleasing Devotees of God]]
[[Category:Krsna Book Chapter 84 - Sacrificial Ceremonies Performed by Vasudeva]]
[[Category:Krsna Book Chapters 01 to 90]]
</div>
<div id="Other_Books_by_Srila_Prabhupada" class="section" sec_index="3" parent="compilation" text="Other Books by Srila Prabhupada"><h2>Other Books by Srila Prabhupada</h2>
</div>
<div id="Krsna_The_Supreme_Personality_of_Godhead" class="sub_section" sec_index="4" parent="Other_Books_by_Srila_Prabhupada" text="Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead"><h3>Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead</h3>
</div>
<div id="KB84_0" class="quote" parent="Krsna,_The_Supreme_Personality_of_Godhead" book="OB" index="88" link="KB 84" link_text="Krsna Book 84">
<div class="heading">Neophyte devotees or religionists cannot understand the importance of great mahātmās. They go to the temple as a matter of formality and pay their respectful obeisances unto the Deity. But when one is promoted to the next platform of transcendental consciousness, one can understand the importance of mahātmās and devotees, and in that stage one tries to please them. Therefore, Lord Kṛṣṇa said that the neophyte cannot understand the importance of great sages, devotees or ascetics.
</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:KB 84|Krsna Book 84]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Among the women present at Kurukṣetra during the solar eclipse were Kuntī, Gāndhārī, Draupadī, Subhadrā and the queens of many other kings, as well as the gopīs from Vṛndāvana. When the different queens of Lord Kṛṣṇa were submitting their statements as to how they had been married and accepted by Lord Kṛṣṇa as His wives, all the female members of the Kuru dynasty were struck with wonder. They were filled with admiration at how all the queens of Kṛṣṇa were attached to Him with love and affection. When they heard about the queens' intensity of love and affection for Kṛṣṇa, they could not check their eyes from filling with tears.</p>
<p>While the women were engaged in conversations among themselves and the men were similarly engaged in conversation, there arrived from all directions almost all the important sages and ascetics, who had come for the purpose of seeing Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Chief among the sages were Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa, the great sage Nārada, Cyavana, Devala, Asita, Viśvāmitra, Śatānanda, Bharadvāja, Gautama, Lord Paraśurāma (along with his disciples), Vasiṣṭha, Gālava, Bhṛgu, Pulastya, Kaśyapa, Atri, Mārkaṇḍeya, Bṛhaspati, Dvita, Trita, Ekata, the four Kumāra sons of Brahmā (Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana and Sanat-kumāra), Aṅgirā, Agastya, Yājñavalkya and Vāmadeva.</p>
<p>As soon as the sages and ascetics arrived, all the kings, including Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and the other Pāṇḍavas and Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, immediately got up from their seats and offered respects by bowing down to the universally respected sages. After this, the sages were properly welcomed by being offered seats and water for washing their feet. Palatable fruits, garlands of flowers, incense and sandalwood pulp were presented, and all the kings, led by Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, worshiped the sages according to the Vedic rules and regulations. When all the sages were comfortably seated, Lord Kṛṣṇa, who descended for the protection of religion, began to address them on behalf of all the kings. When Kṛṣṇa began to speak, all became silent, being eager to hear and understand His welcoming words to the sages.</p>
<p>Lord Kṛṣṇa spoke thus: "All glories to the assembled sages and ascetics! Today we all feel that our lives have become successful. Today we have achieved the desired goal of life because we now see face to face all the exalted, liberated sages and ascetics, whom even the great demigods in the heavens desire to see. Persons who are neophytes in devotional service and who simply offer their respectful obeisances to the Deity in the temple but cannot realize that the Lord is situated in everyone's heart, and those who simply worship different demigods for fulfillment of their own lusty desires, are unable to understand the importance of these sages. They cannot take advantage of receiving these sages by seeing them with their eyes, by touching their lotus feet, by inquiring about their welfare or by diligently worshiping them."</p>
<p>Neophyte devotees or religionists cannot understand the importance of great mahātmās. They go to the temple as a matter of formality and pay their respectful obeisances unto the Deity. But when one is promoted to the next platform of transcendental consciousness, one can understand the importance of mahātmās and devotees, and in that stage one tries to please them. Therefore, Lord Kṛṣṇa said that the neophyte cannot understand the importance of great sages, devotees or ascetics.</p>
<p>Kṛṣṇa continued: "One cannot purify himself merely by traveling to holy places of pilgrimage and taking a bath there or by seeing the demigods' forms in the temples. But if one happens to meet a great devotee, a mahātmā who is a representative of the Personality of Godhead, one is immediately purified. To become purified, one is enjoined to worship the fire, the sun, the moon, the earth, the water, the air, the sky and the mind. By worshiping all the elements and their predominating deities, one can gradually become free from the influence of envy, but all the sins of an envious person can be nullified immediately simply by serving a great soul. My dear revered sages and respectable kings, you can take it from Me that a person who accepts this material body made of three elements—mucus, bile and air—as his own self, who considers his family and relatives his own, who accepts material things as worshipable, or who visits holy places of pilgrimage just to take a bath there but never associates with great personalities, sages and mahātmās—such a person, even though in the form of a human being, is nothing but an animal like an ass."</p>
<p>When the supreme authority, Lord Kṛṣṇa, was thus speaking with great gravity, all the sages and ascetics remained in dead silence. They were amazed upon hearing Him speak the absolute philosophy of life in such a concise way. Unless one is very much advanced in knowledge, one thinks his body to be his self, his family members to be his own, and the land of his birth to be worshipable. From this concept of life, the modern ideology of nationalism has sprung up. Lord Kṛṣṇa condemned such ideas, and He also condemned persons who take the trouble to go to holy places of pilgrimage just to take a bath and come back without taking the opportunity to associate with the great devotees and mahātmās living there. Such persons are compared to the most foolish animal, the ass. All those who heard considered the speech of Lord Kṛṣṇa for some time, and they concluded that Lord Kṛṣṇa was actually the Supreme Personality of Godhead playing the role of an ordinary human being, who is forced to take a certain type of body as a result of the reactions of his past deeds. He was assuming this pastime as an ordinary human simply to teach the people in general how they should live for perfection of the human mission.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

The conclusion is this: Without pleasing the spiritual master he cannot please Krishna. If anyone tries to please Krishna directly, he's fool number one

2025-07-16T07:24:45Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"The conclusion is this: Without pleasing the spiritual master he cannot please Krishna. If anyone tries to please Krishna directly, he's fool number one"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Visnu Murti}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2016-12-24T16:20:19Z}}
{{last|2016-12-24T16:20:19Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=1}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:This is the Conclusion]]
[[Category:Without]]
[[Category:Pleasing a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:I Am Your Spiritual Master (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:We Cannot (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Our Pleasing Krsna (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Anyone (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:We Are Trying To (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Directly]]
[[Category:We Are (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Fool Number One]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Correspondence</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>1972 Correspondence</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
Your next question is, should we love Krishna or love the spiritual master: You cannot go to Krishna directly, loving Him. It is common sense that if Krishna is the object of your love, His pet dog is also the object of your love. Friends meet friends and if the friend is with his dog the gentleman pats his dog first, is it not? So the man becomes automatically pleased, his dog being patted. I have seen it in your country. The conclusion is this: Without pleasing the spiritual master he cannot please Krishna. If anyone tries to please Krishna directly, he's fool number one.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:721214 - Letter to Tusta Krsna written from Ahmedabad|721214 - Letter to Tusta Krsna written from Ahmedabad]]
</div>
<div class="text">
Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

"Hare Krishna Land," Gandhigram Road, Juhu, Bombay-54, India

December 14, 1972

My dear Tusta Krishna,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letters dated November 18, November 22, and December 3, 1972, and I have heard that you are having some difficulties, so I have sent Siddhaswarup there to help you. Now try to keep a cool head under all circumstances and always remember that Krishna will protect you in any case, you haven't to worry anything. I think that without you the New Zealand affair will not go on, but now you are leaving there to live on some farm in Australia. Of course, our serving Krishna is voluntary affair, so what can I say? If you think that is the best choice, I must agree, otherwise you might go away altogether. Anyway we shall discuss in detail if I come there in future.

Regarding your questions in the letter of November 18, 1972, you have asked me if the spiritual master is ultimately Krishna, so the answer must be that if you think that way then everyone is Krishna. So why we should think like this? saktyavesha Avatar. means a living entity, but he is specially empowered. Not that he is Krishna. But on account of his exalted position he is honoured as much as Krishna. Not that he is Krishna. That is Mayavadi. He acts in the position of Krishna, but he is not Krishna, he is very dear to Krishna. That is explained: (here the verse was quoted: yasya prasadat bhagavat prasadat . . .) The spiritual master is acting in the position of Krishna because he is the most confidential servant of Krishna.

Your next question, after leaving this material realm does the devotee remain forever with his spiritual master? The answer is yes. But I think you have got the mistaken idea in this connection. You speak of pure devotee, that he is saktyavesha avatar, that we should obey him only—these things are the wrong idea. If anyone thinks like that, that a pure devotee should be obeyed and no one else, that means he is a nonsense. We advise everyone to address one another as Prabhu. Prabhu means master, so how the master should be disobeyed? Others, they are also pure devotees. All of my disciples are pure devotees. Anyone sincerely serving the spiritual master is a pure devotee, it may be Siddhaswarup or others, a-Siddhasvarupa. This must be very clearly stated. It is not only that your Siddhaswarup is a pure devotee and not others. Do not try to make a faction. Siddhasvarupa is a good soul. But others should not be misled. Anyone who is surrendered to the spiritual master is a pure devotee, it doesn't matter if Siddhaswarupa or non-Siddhaswarup. Amongst ourselves one should respect others as Prabhu, master, one another. As soon as we distinguish here is a pure devotee, here is a non-pure devotee, that means I am a nonsense. Why you only want to be in the spiritual sky with Siddhaswarup? Why not all? If Siddhaswarup can go, why not everyone? Siddhaswarup will go, you will go, Shyamasundar will go, all others will go. We will have another ISKCON there. Of course, Mr. Nair must stay.

And if somebody does not go, then I shall have to come back to take him there. One should remember this and every one of my disciples should act in such a way that they may go with me and may not have to come back to take another birth.

As for your next question, can only a few pure devotees deliver others, anyone, if he is a pure devotee he can deliver others, he can become spiritual master. But unless he on that platform he should not attempt it. Then both of them will to go to hell, like blind men leading the blind.

Next you ask if I am present in my picture and form? Yes. In form as well as in teachings. To carry out the teachings of guru is more important than to worship the form, but none of them should be neglected. Form is called vapu and teachings is called vani. Both should be worshiped. Vani is more important than vapu.

Your next question is, should we love Krishna or love the spiritual master: You cannot go to Krishna directly, loving Him. It is common sense that if Krishna is the object of your love, His pet dog is also the object of your love. Friends meet friends and if the friend is with his dog the gentleman pats his dog first, is it not? So the man becomes automatically pleased, his dog being patted. I have seen it in your country. The conclusion is this: Without pleasing the spiritual master he cannot please Krishna. If anyone tries to please Krishna directly, he's fool number one.

Hoping this meets you and your good wife, Krishna Tulasi dasi, in good health and devotional mood.

Your ever well-wisher,

[unsigned]

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Tusta Krishna das Adhikary,(David Manele),
ISKCON Byron's Bay, NSM
Australia.

ACBS/sda
</div>
</div>
</div>

For material facilities, the conditioned soul tries to please goddess Durga, and mother Durga supplies all kinds of material facilities. Because of this, the conditioned souls are allured and do not wish to leave the external energy

2025-07-16T07:19:27Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"For material facilities, the conditioned soul tries to please goddess Durga, and mother Durga supplies all kinds of material facilities. Because of this, the conditioned souls are allured and do not wish to leave the external energy"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Iswaraj}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2021-05-05T07:13:50Z}}
{{last|2021-05-05T07:13:50Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=1|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Material]]
[[Category:Facilities for a Conditioned Soul]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Durga]]
[[Category:Supply (verb)]]
[[Category:All Kinds Of]]
[[Category:Because Of]]
[[Category:Allurements of a Conditioned Soul]]
[[Category:Do Not Wish]]
[[Category:Leave]]
[[Category:External Energy]]
[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila Chapter 21 Purports - The Opulence and Sweetness of Lord Sri Krsna]]
[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila Purports]]
[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 62 Chapters, All Purports]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Sri Caitanya-caritamrta</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>CC Madhya-lila</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
For material facilities, the conditioned soul tries to please goddess Durgā, and mother Durgā supplies all kinds of material facilities. Because of this, the conditioned souls are allured and do not wish to leave the external energy. Consequently they are continuously making plans to live here peacefully and happily. Such is the material world.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:CC Madhya 21.53|CC Madhya 21.53, Translation and Purport]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
“The abode of the external energy is called Devī-dhāma, and its inhabitants are the conditioned souls. It is there that the material energy, Durgā, resides with many opulent maidservants.
</div>
<div class="text">
<div class="purport">

Because he wants to enjoy the material energy, the conditioned soul is allowed to reside in Devī-dhāma, the external energy, where goddess Durgā carries out the orders of the Supreme Lord as His maidservant. The material energy is called jagal-lakṣmī because she protects the bewildered conditioned souls. Goddess Durgā is therefore known as the material mother, and Lord Śiva, her husband, is known as the material father. Goddess Durgā is so named because this material world is like a big fort where the conditioned soul is placed under her care. For material facilities, the conditioned soul tries to please goddess Durgā, and mother Durgā supplies all kinds of material facilities. Because of this, the conditioned souls are allured and do not wish to leave the external energy. Consequently they are continuously making plans to live here peacefully and happily. Such is the material world.

</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

A pure devotee therefore never approaches the Lord directly, but tries to please the servant of the Lord's servants, and thus the Lord becomes pleased, and only then can the devotee relish the taste of the tulasi leaves stuck to His lotus feet

2025-07-16T07:16:09Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"A pure devotee therefore never approaches the Lord directly, but tries to please the servant of the Lord's servants, and thus the Lord becomes pleased, and only then can the devotee relish the taste of the tulasi leaves stuck to His lotus feet"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Krsnadas}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|18Dec11}}
{{last|18Dec11}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=1|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Pure Devotees of God]]
[[Category:Therefore]]
[[Category:Pure Devotees of God Never Approach God Directly]]
[[Category:Approaching God]]
[[Category:God Directly]]
[[Category:Pure Devotees of God Try to Please the Servant of God's Servants]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Pleasing Devotees of God]]
[[Category:God Becomes]]
[[Category:God's Pleasure]]
[[Category:Only]]
[[Category:Pure Devotees of God Can Relish the Tulasi Leaves by Pleasing God]]
[[Category:Pure Devotees of God Can]]
[[Category:Relishing of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Taste]]
[[Category:Tulasi]]
[[Category:Stick To]]
[[Category:God's Lotus Feet]]
[[Category:Krsna's Lotus Feet]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 02 Chapter 03 Purports - Pure Devotional Service: The Change in Heart]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 02 Purports]]
</div>
<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam" class="section" sec_index="1" parent="compilation" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam"><h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
</div>
<div id="SB_Canto_2" class="sub_section" sec_index="2" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam" text="SB Canto 2"><h3>SB Canto 2</h3>
</div>
<div id="SB2323_0" class="quote" parent="SB_Canto_2" book="SB" index="95" link="SB 2.3.23" link_text="SB 2.3.23">
<div class="heading">Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the property of His pure unconditional devotees, and as such only the devotees can deliver Kṛṣṇa to another devotee; Kṛṣṇa is never obtainable directly. Lord Caitanya therefore designated Himself as gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80), or "the most obedient servant of the servants of the Lord, who maintains the gopī damsels at Vṛndāvana." A pure devotee therefore never approaches the Lord directly, but tries to please the servant of the Lord's servants, and thus the Lord becomes pleased, and only then can the devotee relish the taste of the tulasī leaves stuck to His lotus feet. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said that the Lord is never to be found by becoming a great scholar of the Vedic literatures, but He is very easily approachable through His pure devotee.
</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:SB 2.3.23|SB 2.3.23, Translation and Purport]]: </span><div class="trans text" style="display: inline; "><p style="display: inline; ">The person who has not at any time received the dust of the feet of the Lord's pure devotee upon his head is certainly a dead body. And the person who has never experienced the aroma of the tulasī leaves from the lotus feet of the Lord is also a dead body, although breathing.</p>
</div>
<div class="purport text"><p>According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the breathing dead body is a ghost. When a man dies, he is called dead, but when he again appears in a subtle form not visible to our present vision and yet acts, such a dead body is called a ghost. Ghosts are always very bad elements, always creating a fearful situation for others. Similarly, the ghostlike nondevotees who have no respect for the pure devotees, nor for the Viṣṇu Deity in the temples, create a fearful situation for the devotees at all times. The Lord never accepts any offering by such impure ghosts. There is a common saying that one should first love the dog of the beloved before one shows any loving sentiments for the beloved. The stage of pure devotion is attained by sincerely serving a pure devotee of the Lord. The first condition of devotional service to the Lord is therefore to be a servant of a pure devotee, and this condition is fulfilled by the statement "reception of the dust of the lotus feet of a pure devotee who has also served another pure devotee." That is the way of pure disciplic succession, or devotional paramparā.</p>
<p>Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa inquired from the great saint Jaḍa Bharata as to how he had attained such a liberated stage of a paramahaṁsa, and in answer the great saint replied as follows ([[Vanisource:SB 5.12.12|SB 5.12.12]]):</p>
:rahūgaṇaitat tapasā na yāti
:na cejyayā nirvapaṇād gṛhād vā
:na cchandasā naiva jalāgni-sūryair
:vinā mahat-pāda-rajo-'bhiṣekam
<p>"O King Rahūgaṇa, the perfectional stage of devotional service, or the paramahaṁsa stage of life, cannot be attained unless one is blessed by the dust of the feet of great devotees. It is never attained by tapasya (austerity), the Vedic worshiping process, acceptance of the renounced order of life, the discharge of the duties of household life, the chanting of the Vedic hymns, or the performance of penances in the hot sun, within cold water or before the blazing fire."</p>
<p>In other words, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the property of His pure unconditional devotees, and as such only the devotees can deliver Kṛṣṇa to another devotee; Kṛṣṇa is never obtainable directly. Lord Caitanya therefore designated Himself as gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 13.80|CC Madhya 13.80]]), or "the most obedient servant of the servants of the Lord, who maintains the gopī damsels at Vṛndāvana." A pure devotee therefore never approaches the Lord directly, but tries to please the servant of the Lord's servants, and thus the Lord becomes pleased, and only then can the devotee relish the taste of the tulasī leaves stuck to His lotus feet. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said that the Lord is never to be found by becoming a great scholar of the Vedic literatures, but He is very easily approachable through His pure devotee. In Vṛndāvana all the pure devotees pray for the mercy of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the pleasure potency of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is a tenderhearted feminine counterpart of the supreme whole, resembling the perfectional stage of the worldly feminine nature. Therefore, the mercy of Rādhārāṇī is available very readily to the sincere devotees, and once She recommends such a devotee to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Lord at once accepts the devotee's admittance into His association. The conclusion is, therefore, that one should be more serious about seeking the mercy of the devotee than that of the Lord directly, and by one's doing so (by the good will of the devotee) the natural attraction for the service of the Lord will be revived.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

O all-pervading Supreme Person (Rama), we are (Ocean personified and all living entities within it) dull-minded and did not understand You, but now we understand that You are the Supreme Person, the master of the entire universe, unchanging & original PG

2025-07-16T06:54:08Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"O all-pervading Supreme Person, we are dull-minded and did not understand who You are, but now we understand that You are the Supreme Person, the master of the entire universe, the unchanging and original Personality of Godhead"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|HanumanIC}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2017-12-18T09:23:58Z}}
{{last|2017-12-18T09:23:58Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=1|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:All-pervading]]
[[Category:Supreme Person]]
[[Category:God Is Lord Ramacandra]]
[[Category:We Are]]
[[Category:Ocean Personified]]
[[Category:Living Entities]]
[[Category:Dull Mind]]
[[Category:Did Not]]
[[Category:Not Understanding God]]
[[Category:You Are]]
[[Category:Understanding God]]
[[Category:God Is The Master of The Universe]]
[[Category:The Entire Universe]]
[[Category:God Is Unchangeable]]
[[Category:Original Personality of Godhead]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 09 Chapter 10 - The Pastimes of the Supreme Lord, Ramacandra‎]]
[[Category:Bhagavatam Verses Spoken by the Personified Ocean - Vaniquotes]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Cantos 01 to 09 - All Verse Translations]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>SB Canto 9</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
O all-pervading Supreme Person, we are dull-minded and did not understand who You are, but now we understand that You are the Supreme Person, the master of the entire universe, the unchanging and original Personality of Godhead. The demigods are infatuated with the mode of goodness, the Prajāpatis with the mode of passion, and the lord of ghosts with the mode of ignorance, but You are the master of all these qualities.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:SB 9.10.14|SB 9.10.14, Translation and Purport]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
O all-pervading Supreme Person, we are dull-minded and did not understand who You are, but now we understand that You are the Supreme Person, the master of the entire universe, the unchanging and original Personality of Godhead. The demigods are infatuated with the mode of goodness, the Prajāpatis with the mode of passion, and the lord of ghosts with the mode of ignorance, but You are the master of all these qualities.
</div>
<div class="text">
The word jaḍa-dhiyaḥ refers to intelligence like that of an animal. A person with such intelligence cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Without being beaten, an animal cannot understand the purpose of a man. Similarly, those who are dull-minded cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but when punished severely by the modes of material nature, they begin to understand Him. A Hindi poet has said:

<div class="quote_verse">
:duḥkha se saba hari bhaje
:sukha se bhaje koī
:sukha se agar hari bhaje
:duḥkha kāthāṅ se haya
</div>

When one is distressed he goes to the church or temple to worship the Lord, but when opulent he forgets the Lord. Therefore, punishment by the Lord through material nature is necessary in human society, for without it men forget the supremacy of the Lord due to their dull, blunt intelligence.
</div>
</div>
</div>

By the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all the dullness in the mind of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was eradicated. After reciting the following two verses (CC Madhya 6.225 - 6.226), he ate the prasadam offered to him

2025-07-15T13:35:37Z

Somnath: Somnath moved page By the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all the dullness in the mind of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was eradicated. After reciting the following two verses, he ate the prasadam offered to him to By the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all the dullness in the mind of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was eradicated. After reciting the following two verses (CC Madhya 6.225 - 6.226), he ate the prasadam offered to him

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"By the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all the dullness in the mind of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was eradicated. After reciting the following two verses, he ate the prasādam offered to him"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|HanumanIC}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2017-05-25T14:43:59Z}}
{{last|2017-05-25T14:43:59Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=1|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Caitanya's Mercy]]
[[Category:God's Mercy]]
[[Category:Dull Mind]]
[[Category:In the Mind]]
[[Category:Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya]]
[[Category:Eradicate]]
[[Category:Following]]
[[Category:Reciting Verses]]
[[Category:Two]]
[[Category:Eating Prasadam - Devotional Service to God]]
[[Category:Caitanya's Prasadam]]
[[Category:God's Prasadam]]
[[Category:Offering Prasadam to the Devotees of God]]
[[Category:Caitanya and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya]]
[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila Chapter 06 - The Liberation of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya]]
[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 62 Chapters]]
[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 25 Chapters]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Sri Caitanya-caritamrta</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>CC Madhya-lila</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
By the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all the dullness in the mind of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was eradicated. After reciting the following two verses, he ate the prasādam offered to him.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:CC Madhya 6.224|CC Madhya 6.224, Translation]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
By the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all the dullness in the mind of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was eradicated. After reciting the following two verses, he ate the prasādam offered to him.
</div>
</div>
</div>

Cyavana Muni was not young but indeed old enough to be Sukanya's grandfather and was also very irritable, Sukanya, the beautiful young daughter of a king, submitted herself to her old husband and tried to please him in all respects

2025-07-15T13:24:36Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Cyavana Muni was not young but indeed old enough to be Sukanya's grandfather and was also very irritable, Sukanya, the beautiful young daughter of a king, submitted herself to her old husband and tried to please him in all respects"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|MadhuGopaldas}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|30Dec10}}
{{last|30Dec10}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=1|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Cyavana Muni]]
[[Category:Was Not]]
[[Category:Young]]
[[Category:Indeed]]
[[Category:Old]]
[[Category:Enough]]
[[Category:Sukanya]]
[[Category:Grandfather]]
[[Category:Beautiful]]
[[Category:Young]]
[[Category:Daughter Of...]]
[[Category:King]]
[[Category:Submit]]
[[Category:Old]]
[[Category:Husband]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:In All Respects]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 09 Chapter 03 Purports - The Marriage of Sukanya and Cyavana Muni]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 09 Purports]]
</div>
<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam" class="section" sec_index="1" parent="compilation" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam"><h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
</div>
<div id="SB_Canto_9" class="sub_section" sec_index="9" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam" text="SB Canto 9"><h3>SB Canto 9</h3>
</div>
<div id="SB9310_0" class="quote" parent="SB_Canto_9" book="SB" index="82" link="SB 9.3.10" link_text="SB 9.3.10">
<div class="heading">In this case we clearly see that although Cyavana Muni was not young but indeed old enough to be Sukanyā's grandfather and was also very irritable, Sukanyā, the beautiful young daughter of a king, submitted herself to her old husband and tried to please him in all respects. Thus she was a faithful and chaste wife.
</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:SB 9.3.10|SB 9.3.10, Translation and Purport]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="trans text"><p style="display: inline;">Cyavana Muni was very irritable, but since Sukanyā had gotten him as her husband, she dealt with him carefully, according to his mood. Knowing his mind, she performed service to him without being bewildered.</p>
</div>
<div class="purport text"><p>This is an indication of the relationship between husband and wife. A great personality like Cyavana Muni has the temperament of always wanting to be in a superior position. Such a person cannot submit to anyone. Therefore, Cyavana Muni had an irritable temperament. His wife, Sukanyā, could understand his attitude, and under the circumstances she treated him accordingly. If any wife wants to be happy with her husband, she must try to understand her husband's temperament and please him. This is victory for a woman. Even in the dealings of Lord Kṛṣṇa with His different queens, it has been seen that although the queens were the daughters of great kings, they placed themselves before Lord Kṛṣṇa as His maidservants. However great a woman may be, she must place herself before her husband in this way; that is to say, she must be ready to carry out her husband's orders and please him in all circumstances. Then her life will be successful. When the wife becomes as irritable as the husband, their life at home is sure to be disturbed or ultimately completely broken. In the modern day, the wife is never submissive, and therefore home life is broken even by slight incidents. Either the wife or the husband may take advantage of the divorce laws. According to the Vedic law, however, there is no such thing as divorce laws, and a woman must be trained to be submissive to the will of her husband. Westerners contend that this is a slave mentality for the wife, but factually it is not; it is the tactic by which a woman can conquer the heart of her husband, however irritable or cruel he may be. In this case we clearly see that although Cyavana Muni was not young but indeed old enough to be Sukanyā's grandfather and was also very irritable, Sukanyā, the beautiful young daughter of a king, submitted herself to her old husband and tried to please him in all respects. Thus she was a faithful and chaste wife.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

At the end of this time, all the members of the Yadu dynasty tried to please the inhabitants of Vrndavana to their hearts’ content

2025-07-15T13:10:31Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"At the end of this time, all the members of the Yadu dynasty tried to please the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana to their hearts’ content"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|MahaprabhuCaitanya}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2017-04-13T00:32:20Z}}
{{last|2017-04-13T00:32:20Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=1|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:End]]
[[Category:Time]]
[[Category:Members]]
[[Category:Yadu Dynasty]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Inhabitants of Vrndavana]]
[[Category:Heart]]
[[Category:Contention]]
[[Category:Krsna Book Chapter 84 - Sacrificial Ceremonies Performed by Vasudeva]]
[[Category:Krsna Book Chapters 01 to 90]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Other Books by Srila Prabhupada</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
When Vasudeva was speaking to Nanda Mahārāja in this way, he was influenced by a great feeling for the friendship of Nanda Mahārāja and the beneficial activities executed by King Nanda on his behalf. As such, his eyes filled with tears, and he began to cry. Nanda Mahārāja, desiring to please his friend Vasudeva and being affectionately bound with love for Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, passed three months in their association. At the end of this time, all the members of the Yadu dynasty tried to please the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana to their hearts’ content.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:KB 84|Krsna Book, 84]]
</div>
<div class="text">
After performing this sacrifice, Vasudeva felt so satisfied that there was no limit to his happiness. All the members of his family were with him, and in their presence he caught hold of the hands of Nanda Mahārāja and addressed him thus: “My dear brother, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has created a great tie of bondage known as the bondage of love and affection. I think that it is a very difficult job for even the great sages and saintly persons to cut such a tie of love. My dear brother, you have exhibited feelings of love for me that I was not able to return. I think, therefore, that I am ungrateful. You have behaved exactly as is characteristic of saintly persons, but I shall never be able to repay you. I have no means to repay you for your friendly dealings. Nevertheless I am confident that our tie of love will never break. Our friendship must ever continue, in spite of my inability to repay you. I hope you will excuse me for this inability.

“My dear brother, in the beginning, due to my being imprisoned, I could never serve you as a friend, and although at the present moment I am very opulent, because of my material prosperity I have become blind. I therefore cannot satisfy you properly even at this time. My dear brother, you are so nice and gentle that you offer all respect to others but don’t care for any respect for yourself. A person seeking auspicious progress in life must avoid possessing too much material opulence so that he will not become blind and puffed up, and he should take care of his friends and relatives.”

When Vasudeva was speaking to Nanda Mahārāja in this way, he was influenced by a great feeling for the friendship of Nanda Mahārāja and the beneficial activities executed by King Nanda on his behalf. As such, his eyes filled with tears, and he began to cry. Nanda Mahārāja, desiring to please his friend Vasudeva and being affectionately bound with love for Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, passed three months in their association. At the end of this time, all the members of the Yadu dynasty tried to please the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana to their hearts’ content. The members of the Yadu dynasty tried to satisfy Nanda Mahārāja and his associates by offering them clothing, ornaments and many other valuable articles, and they all became fully satisfied. Vasudeva, Ugrasena, Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Balarāma, Uddhava and all other members of the Yadu dynasty presented their individual gifts to Nanda Mahārāja and his associates. After Nanda Mahārāja received these farewell presentations, he, along with his associates, started for Vrajabhūmi, Vṛndāvana. The minds of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana remained, however, with Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, and therefore all of them started for Vṛndāvana without their minds.

When the members of the Vṛṣṇi family saw all their friends and visitors departing, they observed that the rainy season was approaching, and thus they decided to return to Dvārakā. They were fully satisfied, for they regarded Kṛṣṇa as everything. When they returned to Dvārakā, they described with great satisfaction the sacrifice performed by Vasudeva, their meeting with various friends and well-wishers, and various other incidents that had occurred during their travels in the places of pilgrimage.
</div>
</div>
</div>

You may be sannyasi or may be grhastha or may be brahmacari or a brahmana, a ksatriya, or vaisya, sudra. Never mind. Try to satisfy Krsna. Try to please Krsna. Then your life is successful. Otherwise, you are pramatta, mad

2025-07-15T13:07:51Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"you may be sannyasi or may be grhastha or may be brahmacari or a brahmana, a ksatriya, or vaisya, sudra. Never mind. Try to satisfy Krsna. Try to please Krsna. Then your life is successful. Otherwise, you are pramatta, mad"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Krsnadas}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|15Nov12}}
{{last|15Nov12}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=1|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:You May]]
[[Category:May Be]]
[[Category:Becoming a Sannyasi]]
[[Category:Becoming a Grhastha]]
[[Category:Becoming a Brahmacari]]
[[Category:Becoming a Brahmana]]
[[Category:Administrative Class - Ksatriya]]
[[Category:Mercantile Class - Vaisya]]
[[Category:Laborer Class - Sudra]]
[[Category:Becoming a Brahmacari]]
[[Category:God and Sannyasis]]
[[Category:Krsna and the Brahmanas]]
[[Category:Krsna and the Ksatriyas]]
[[Category:Krsna and the Sudras]]
[[Category:Krsna and the Vaisyas]]
[[Category:God and the Brahmanas]]
[[Category:God and the Ksatriyas]]
[[Category:God and the Sudras]]
[[Category:God and the Vaisyas]]
[[Category:Never Mind]]
[[Category:Try To]]
[[Category:Satisfying Krsna]]
[[Category:Satisfying God]]
[[Category:Brahmanas and Satisfaction]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Pleasing Krsna]]
[[Category:Pleasing God]]
[[Category:Your Life]]
[[Category:Life Will Be Successful]]
[[Category:Otherwise]]
[[Category:You Are]]
[[Category:Pramatta]]
[[Category:Madness]]
[[Category:Pages Needing Audio - SOMNATH]]
</div>
<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
</div>
<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="1" parent="Lectures" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures"><h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3>
</div>
<div id="LectureonSB173637VrndavanaSeptember291976_0" class="quote" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" book="Lec" index="187" link="Lecture on SB 1.7.36-37 -- Vrndavana, September 29, 1976" link_text="Lecture on SB 1.7.36-37 -- Vrndavana, September 29, 1976">
<div class="heading">Never mind what you are. Either you may be sannyāsī or may be gṛhastha or may be brahmacārī or a brāhmaṇa, a kṣatriya, or vaiśya, śūdra. Never mind. Try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Try to please Kṛṣṇa. Then your life is successful. Otherwise, you are pramatta, mad. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). So long you shall remain a pramatta, you shall act just opposite function, and you'll be entangled.
</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on SB 1.7.36-37 -- Vrndavana, September 29, 1976|Lecture on SB 1.7.36-37 -- Vrndavana, September 29, 1976]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Nothing is bad provided it is meant for Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. The varṇāśrama-vibhāga must be there. But what is the aim of varṇāśrama? Simply by becoming a brāhmaṇa he's successful? No. Nobody can become successful unless he satisfies Kṛṣṇa. That is real success. Just like Arjuna did. By the military art, he satisfied Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, by your vaiśya-vṛtti, kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyam ([[Vanisource:BG 18.44 (1972)|BG 18.44]]), you can satisfy Kṛṣṇa. By your brāhmaṇa-vṛtti you can satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Even by your śūdra-vṛtti you can satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That possibility is here, that Kṛṣṇa says sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya. The aim should be how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Doesn't matter whether you are a brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya. Kṛṣṇa confirms it, api cet su-durācāraḥ... No. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 9.32 (1972)|BG 9.32]]). Pāpa-yoni means below the vaiśyas, the śūdras, they are pāpa-yonis. Vaiśyas also. Striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim. So there is no impediment to approach Kṛṣṇa because you are a śūdra, or caṇḍāla or woman or vaiśya. No. Everyone can... That facility is there. Therefore our duty should be, "Never mind in whichever position I am posted. Let me satisfy Kṛṣṇa." It is not that... Suppose we are worshiping Deity. That is the duty of brāhmaṇa; but somebody is called that "You cleanse this floor." So he should not think that "I am cleansing the floor; therefore I am lower than the person directly worshiping the Deity." No. Kṛṣṇa's pleasure wanted. If Kṛṣṇa sees that by washing the floor you are doing very nicely, Kṛṣṇa is pleased: "Oh, you are nice." Similarly, one man is decorating Kṛṣṇa with garland and... If Kṛṣṇa is pleased, that is the main point. Not that because you are on the Deity room you are very elevated, and the other man who is cleansing the door, he is not elevated. No. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau **. They are all equal. In whichever position you are, simply your endeavor should be how to please Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya ([[Vanisource:BG 18.46 (1972)|BG 18.46]]).</p>
<p>Also it is said, ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. Because generally we take divisions, varṇa and āśrama. So Sūta Gosvāmī says in the meeting of Naimiṣāraṇya, ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. They are all big, big, very learned scholars and brāhmaṇas, so they were addressing, dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. Dvija means brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya. One who has got the right to take the sacred thread, they are called dvijas. But out of the three, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, the brāhmaṇa is called dvija-śreṣṭha. Therefore he addressed,</p>
:ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā
:varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ
:svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya
:saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam
:([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.13|SB 1.2.13]])
<p>Saṁsiddhi. Never mind what you are. Either you may be sannyāsī or may be gṛhastha or may be brahmacārī or a brāhmaṇa, a kṣatriya, or vaiśya, śūdra. Never mind. Try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Try to please Kṛṣṇa. Then your life is successful. Otherwise, you are pramatta, mad. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma ([[Vanisource:SB 5.5.4|SB 5.5.4]]). So long you shall remain a pramatta, you shall act just opposite function, and you'll be entangled. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, yajñārthe karmaṇaḥ anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ. If you do not work for pleasing Kṛṣṇa, then that work will entangle you in the cycle of birth and death.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

What is that submission? "Render service unto him (spiritual master)." Try to please him by satisfying him, by service

2025-07-15T12:58:53Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"what is that submission? "Render service unto him." Try to please him by satisfying him by service"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Soham}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2023-01-29T11:15:32Z}}
{{last|2023-01-29T11:15:32Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=1|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:What Is]]
[[Category:Submission]]
[[Category:Rendering Devotional Service to Devotees of God]]
[[Category:Serving a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Pleasing a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:Satisfying a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:Submission and Service]]
[[Category:Pages Needing Audio - SOHAM]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Lectures</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
Arjuna in the beginning was speaking with Kṛṣṇa on friendly level, but at last he submitted that, "I am Your disciple. Please teach me." This is the process: submissively. "Inquire from him submissively." And what is that submission? "Render service unto him." Try to please him by satisfying him by service. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ, you singing. If he is pleased, then you know Kṛṣṇa is pleased. And if he is displeased, then there is no other way. This is the process, submissive.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:690112 - Lecture BG 04.34-39 - Los Angeles|690112 - Lecture BG 04.34-39 - Los Angeles]]
</div>
<div class="text">
Suppose you are going here. You are coming here to learn something. When you are convinced that, "Swāmījī knows the thing," when you are convinced, then you accept. Then you ask for initiation. Otherwise don't do it hesitatingly or knowing half. Therefore in the system it is enjoined that the spiritual master also observe the disciple at least for one year, and the disciple also study the spiritual master at least for one year.

So when both of them are convinced that "He can be my spiritual master" or "He can be my disciple," then the relationship is established. We initiate our students. The preliminary initiation is offering chanting. Then we observe, at least for one year, how he is chanting, how he is doing. Then the second initiation confirms. That is the system.

So inquire from him submissively. Where you cannot submit, if you think that, "Oh, what is this spiritual master? I can challenge him," then there is no question of accepting as your spiritual master. You have to submit yourself, fully surrender yourself. You have to bow your head, "Yes. Here is my spiritual . . ." Just like Kṛṣṇa, er, Arjuna said, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam ([[Vanisource:BG 2.7 (1972)|BG 2.7]]).

Arjuna in the beginning was speaking with Kṛṣṇa on friendly level, but at last he submitted that, "I am Your disciple. Please teach me." This is the process: submissively. "Inquire from him submissively."

And what is that submission? "Render service unto him." Try to please him by satisfying him by service. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ, you singing. If he is pleased, then you know Kṛṣṇa is pleased. And if he is displeased, then there is no other way. This is the process, submissive. "The self-realized soul can impart knowledge." And because you have to select spiritual master, a self-realized soul. Just like if you want to study particular subject matter, you have to approach a realized person, a perfect person. Then you get. "The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth." One who has not seen the truth, he cannot.

Now, one may question, "Whether you have seen Kṛṣṇa?" So how Kṛṣṇa can be seen? Yes. A spiritual master must have seen Kṛṣṇa. Without seeing, he cannot be spiritual master. But how Kṛṣṇa can be seen? Kṛṣṇa can be seen by love. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38).

Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti. Just like if you are in love with somebody, you can see him constantly—he is always on your eyes, anyone you love—so similarly, Kṛṣṇa also can be seen by development of love. Otherwise, how we can see Kṛṣṇa? He is so great, unlimited. Your eyes, your senses, are all limited. You cannot see the unlimited by your limited sense perception. But you can see . . . not you can see, but svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 17.136|CC Madhya 17.136]]).
</div>
</div>
</div>

We must always think of Krsna, just like the gopis. The Krsna consciousness of the gopis was perfect because they had no desire other than to try to please Krsna. That is perfection

2025-07-15T12:55:38Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"We must always think of Kṛṣṇa, just like the gopīs. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness of the gopīs was perfect because they had no desire other than to try to please Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Soham}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2022-12-18T12:53:00Z}}
{{last|2022-12-18T12:53:00Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=1|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Must Always]]
[[Category:Always Thinking of Krsna]]
[[Category:Always Thinking of God]]
[[Category:Just Like]]
[[Category:Thoughts of the Gopis]]
[[Category:Perfect Krsna Consciousness]]
[[Category:Perfect God Consciousness]]
[[Category:Because]]
[[Category:No Desire]]
[[Category:Other Than]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Pleasing Krsna]]
[[Category:Pleasing God]]
[[Category:Krsna and the Gopis]]
[[Category:God and the Gopis]]
[[Category:Teachings of Queen Kunti Chapter 25 - Unalloyed Devotion]]
[[Category:Teachings of Queen Kunti Chapters 03 to 26]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Other Books by Srila Prabhupada</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>Teachings of Queen Kunti</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
We must always think of Kṛṣṇa, just like the gopīs. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness of the gopīs was perfect because they had no desire other than to try to please Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends, ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā: there is no better process by which to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead than that method adopted by the gopīs.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:TQK 25 Unalloyed Devotion|Teachings of Queen Kunti, 25]]
</div>
<div class="text">
Perfection of pure devotional service is attained when all attention is diverted toward the transcendental loving service of the Lord. To cut off the tie of all other affections does not mean complete negation of the finer elements, like affection for someone else. This is not possible. A living being, whoever he may be, must have this feeling of affection for others because this is a symptom of life. The symptoms of life, such as desire, anger, hankerings, and feelings of attraction, cannot be annihilated. Only the objective has to be changed. Desire cannot be negated, but in devotional service the desire is changed only for the service of the Lord in place of desire for sense gratification. The so-called affection for family, society, country, etc., consists of different phases of sense gratification. When this desire is changed for the satisfaction of the Lord, it is called devotional service.

In the Bhagavad-gītā we can see that Arjuna desired not to fight with his brothers and relations just to satisfy his own personal desires. But when he heard the message of the Lord, Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā, he changed his decision and served the Lord. And for his doing so, he became a famous devotee of the Lord, for it is declared in all the scriptures that Arjuna attained spiritual perfection by devotional service to the Lord in friendship. The fighting was there, the friendship was there, Arjuna was there, and Kṛṣṇa was there, but Arjuna became a different person by devotional service. Therefore, the prayers of Kuntī also indicate the same categorical changes in activities. Śrīmatī Kuntī wanted to serve the Lord without diversion, and that was her prayer. This unalloyed devotion is the ultimate goal of life. Our attention is usually diverted to the service of something which is nongodly or not in the program of the Lord. When the program is changed into the service of the Lord, that is to say when the senses are purified in relation with the service of the Lord, it is called pure, unalloyed devotional service. Śrīmatī Kuntīdevī wanted that perfection and prayed for it from the Lord.

Her affection for the Pāṇḍavas and the Vṛṣṇis is not out of the range of devotional service, because the service of the Lord and the service of the devotees are identical. Sometimes service to the devotee is more valuable than service to the Lord. But here the affection of Kuntīdevī for the Pāṇḍavas and the Vṛṣṇis was due to family relation. This tie of affection in terms of material relation is the relation of māyā, because the relations of the body or the mind are due to the influence of the external energy. Relations of the soul, established in relation with the Supreme Soul, are factual relations. When Kuntīdevī wanted to cut off the family relation, she meant to cut off the relation of the skin. The skin relation is the cause of material bondage, but the relation of the soul is the cause of freedom. This relation of the soul to the soul can be established by the via medium of the relation with the Supersoul. Seeing in the darkness is not seeing. But seeing by the light of the sun means seeing the sun and everything else which was unseen in the darkness. That is the way of devotional service.

In the previous verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Queen Kuntī prayed that the Lord kindly cut off her attraction for her kinsmen, the Pāṇḍava and Vṛṣṇi families. However, giving up one's attraction for material things is not sufficient. The Māyāvādī philosophers say, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: "This world is false, and Brahman (spirit) is truth." We admit this, but qualify it. As living entities, we want enjoyment. Enjoyment means variety. It is not possible to enjoy anything without variety. Why has God created so many colors and so many forms? In order to create enjoyment out of variety, for variety is the mother of enjoyment.

Māyāvādī philosophers, impersonalists, want to negate this variety, but what is the result? Because they do not engage in devotional service, they simply undertake the hard labor of austerities and penances without achieving any permanent result. This is explained by a prayer in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam ([[Vanisource:SB 10.2.32|10.2.32]]):

<div class="quote_verse">
:ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas
:tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ
:āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ
:patanty adho 'nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ
</div>

"O lotus-eyed Lord, those who think they are liberated in this life but do not render devotional service to You must be of impure intelligence. Although they accept severe austerities and penances and rise to the spiritual position, to impersonal Brahman realization, they fall down again because they neglect to worship Your lotus feet."

The human form of life is meant for reestablishing our relationship with God and acting according to that relationship. Even in ordinary dealings, one businessman who intends to do business with another must first establish some relationship with him, and then transactions can take place. Similarly, a husband and wife establish a relationship by marriage, and then they live together. In a similar way, human life is meant for reestablishing our relationship with God. The material world means forgetfulness of this relationship. There is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness in this material world, for as soon as there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as soon as there is action on the basis of Kṛṣṇa, it is no longer the material world but the spiritual world.

As a woman, Kuntīdevī had a relationship with two families. That was her attachment. Therefore she prayed to Kṛṣṇa to cut off these relationships and free her. But after becoming free, what should she do? That is the question. One may be employed in some business and, feeling inconvenience, resign. That resignation may be all right, but if by resigning one becomes unemployed and has no engagement, then what is the value of resigning?

Those who are frustrated and confused want to negate this material world. They know what they don't want, but they do not know what they do want. People are always saying, "I don't want this." But what do they want? That they do not know.

What one should actually want is explained by Kuntīdevī. She says, "Let my family relationships cease, but let my relationship with You be confirmed." In other words, she does not want to be attracted to anything but Kṛṣṇa. This is perfection, and this is actually wanted.

The word ananya-viṣayā means ananya-bhakti, undeviating devotional service. We must simply be attached to Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day without deviation. In this way our renunciation can be perfect. If we think we can be attached to Kṛṣṇa and material things at the same time, we are mistaken. We cannot ignite a fire and at the same time pour water on it. If we do, the fire will not act.

The Māyāvādī sannyāsīs renounce this world (brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā). It is very good to preach renunciation of the world, but side by side we must have attraction for something, otherwise our renunciation will not remain. We see many Māyāvādī sannyāsīs who say brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā, but after they take sannyāsa they return to the material world to open hospitals and do philanthropic work. Why? If they have left this world, considering it mithyā, false, why do they return to take up politics, philanthropy, and sociology? Actually this is bound to happen, for we are living entities and are active. If out of frustration we try to become inactive, we shall fail in our attempt. We must engage in activities.

The supreme activity, the Brahman (spiritual) activity, is devotional service. Unfortunately the Māyāvādīs do not know this. They think that the spiritual world is void. However, the spiritual world is exactly like the material world in that it has varieties. In the spiritual world there are also houses, trees, roads, chariots - everything is there, but without the material inebrieties. As described in Brahma-saṁhitā (5.29):

<div class="quote_verse">
:cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-
:lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam
:lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ
:govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
</div>

"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor, who is tending the cows, yielding all desires, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, and always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of goddesses of fortune, or gopīs."

In the spiritual world there are kalpa-vṛkṣa trees, which yield whatever type of fruit we desire. In the material world a mango tree cannot supply grapes, nor can a grapevine supply mangoes. In the spiritual world, however, if we take a mango from a tree and at the same time desire grapes, the tree will supply them. This is called a "desire tree." These are some of the actualities of the spiritual world.

In this material world we require sunlight and moonlight, but in the spiritual world there is no need of sunlight and moonlight because everything and everyone is effulgent. In kṛṣṇa-līlā, Kṛṣṇa stole butter, and the neighborhood friends of Mother Yaśodā complained. Actually they were not complaining, but were just enjoying the bodily features and the fun of Kṛṣṇa. They told Mother Yaśodā, "Your son comes to our house and steals butter. We try to conceal it in the dark so that He cannot see it, but somehow He still finds it out. You had better take away all His ornaments because we think that the light of His jewels helps Him find the butterpot." Mother Yaśodā replied, "Yes, I will take off all His ornaments." But the neighbors would reply, "No, no. It is useless. Somehow this boy has an effulgence that comes out of Himself. He can find the butter even without the ornaments." Thus the transcendental body is effulgent.

It is because of the effulgence of Kṛṣṇa's transcendental body that there is light. Whatever light we see is simply borrowed light from Kṛṣṇa's effulgence. As stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.40):

<div class="quote_verse">
:yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-
:koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam
:tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ
:govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
</div>

"In the millions and millions of universes there are innumerable planets, and each of them is different from the others by its cosmic constitution. All of these planets are situated within the spiritual effulgence called the brahma-jyoti. This brahma-jyoti is the bodily effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whom I worship."

The bodily effulgence of Kṛṣṇa generates millions of universes. In this solar system the sun produces many planets, and because of sunshine the planets are warm and the seasons change. Because of the sun there are trees, green foliage, fruits, and flowers. Similarly, whatever we see in creation is all due to Kṛṣṇa's bodily effulgence.

The Māyāvādīs simply see the effulgence, which is impersonal. They cannot see anything more. We may see an airplane rise in the sky, but after a while it passes out of our sight due to the dazzling sunshine. The airplane is there, but we cannot see it. Similarly, if we simply try to see the effulgent brahma-jyoti, we are unable to see within it. One of the mantras in the Īśopaniṣad therefore petitions the Lord to wind up His effulgence so that He can be seen properly.

The Māyāvādī philosophers cannot see the personal activities of Kṛṣṇa nor the planet where Kṛṣṇa is personally active. The Bhāgavatam says, āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho 'nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ: ([[Vanisource:SB 10.2.32|SB 10.2.32]]) because they do not see the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, they have to return to this material world, despite all their serious penances and austerities. Thus renunciation in itself will not help us. We may artificially renounce, but again we shall become so-called enjoyers. Such renunciation and enjoyment is like a pendulum that goes this way and that. On one side we become false renunciants, and on the other we become false enjoyers. The remedy, however, is here. If we really want to become detached from this material world, we must increase our attachment for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Renunciation alone will not help us. Therefore Kuntīdevī prays, tvayi me 'nanya-viṣayā ([[Vanisource:SB 1.8.42|SB 1.8.42]]). She prays that her attraction be constantly drawn unto Kṛṣṇa without being diverted to anything else. This is bhakti, pure devotional service, for as mentioned by Rūpa Gosvāmī, devotional service should be unalloyed (anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (Brs. 1.1.11)).

In this material world there are jñānīs and karmīs. The karmīs are fools who unnecessarily work very hard, and the jñānīs are those who, when a little elevated, think, "Why work so hard? So many things are not required. Why accumulate so much money and food and so much false prestige?" The jñānī thinks in this way. The bhakta, however, is beyond the karmī and the jñānī. The karmī has many desires, and the jñānī tries to get rid of all desires, but desirelessness can be possible only when we desire to serve Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise it is not possible to get rid of desires. Jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). As bhaktas, we should have no desires for jñāna and karma. We should be without attachment for material things, but we must have attachment for Kṛṣṇa. In this way our detachment will be fixed.

We must cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness favorably (ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam). This means thinking of how Kṛṣṇa will be satisfied. We must always think of Kṛṣṇa, just like the gopīs. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness of the gopīs was perfect because they had no desire other than to try to please Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends, ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā: there is no better process by which to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead than that method adopted by the gopīs.

The gopīs had no desire other than to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. All the gopīs tried to satisfy Him, including the elder gopīs, Yaśodā and her friends, and so also did the elderly gopas like Nanda Mahārāja and his friends. The boys and girls of Vṛndāvana who were of the same age as Kṛṣṇa also tried to satisfy Him. Everyone tried to satisfy Kṛṣṇa-even the cows, the flowers, the fruits, and the water of Vṛndāvana. This is because everything in Vṛndāvana is spiritual; nothing is material.

We should understand the difference between spiritual and material. That which is material has no living symptoms, and that which is spiritual has all living symptoms. Both the trees in the spiritual world and those in the material world are living entities, but in trees here the living symptoms are absent. A human being is a living entity, and the devotees in the spiritual world are also living entities, but in the human beings who are not Kṛṣṇa conscious the real symptoms of life are absent.

Actually there is no other consciousness but Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And that consciousness is spiritual. Thus even while in this material world, if we simply increase our Kṛṣṇa consciousness we shall live in the spiritual world. If we live in the temple, we live in the spiritual world because in the temple there is no business other than Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There are so many engagements carried out for Kṛṣṇa. Those who strictly follow the regulations of Kṛṣṇa consciousness actually live in the spiritual world, not the material world. We may think we are living in New York, Los Angeles, or elsewhere, but we are actually living in Vaikuṇṭha.

It is a question of consciousness. A bug may sit on the same seat with the spiritual master, but because the spiritual master has developed consciousness and the bug does not, they are different. They may be sitting in the same place, but the bug remains a bug, and the spiritual master remains the spiritual master. The position in space may remain the same, just as we remain in the material world or the spiritual world, but if our Kṛṣṇa consciousness is strong, we are not in the material world.

Thus renunciation by itself, the simple giving up of worldly things, is not sufficient. Renunciation may be a helpful process, but it will not help absolutely. When we increase our attachment for Kṛṣṇa, our renunciation will be perfect. As we increase attachment for Kṛṣṇa, attachment for this material world will automatically diminish. Attachment for Kṛṣṇa and the material world cannot go hand in hand. If a woman is attached to two men - her husband and her paramour - she cannot maintain her attachment for both. Her attachment will increase for her paramour. Although she may work at her husband's home very nicely, her mind will be attached to her paramour, and she will think, "When shall I meet him tonight?" In the same way, if we increase our attachment for Kṛṣṇa, detachment or renunciation of this material world will automatically come (bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra ca, [[Vanisource:SB 11.2.42|SB 11.2.42]]).

Thus Kuntīdevī prays to Kṛṣṇa that He may grant her His mercy by which she can become attached to Him. We cannot increase our attachment for Kṛṣṇa without Kṛṣṇa's mercy. We cannot become devotees without Kṛṣṇa's mercy; therefore we simply have to serve Kṛṣṇa, for by service Kṛṣṇa is satisfied.

Kṛṣṇa does not require anyone's service, for He is perfect in Himself. However, if we give Him service wholeheartedly and sincerely, then, by His mercy, we shall make advancement. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphurat adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). God will reveal Himself to us. We cannot see God with our blunt eyes. How then can we see Him? Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena, santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38). We have to smear our eyes with the ointment of love; then Kṛṣṇa will reveal Himself. Kṛṣṇa will actually come in front of us.

When Dhruva Mahārāja was undergoing penance and meditating upon the form of Viṣṇu within his heart, the Viṣṇu form suddenly disappeared, and his meditation broke. Upon opening his eyes, Dhruva Mahārāja immediately saw Viṣṇu before him. Like Dhruva Mahārāja, we should always think of Kṛṣṇa, and when we attain perfection we shall see Kṛṣṇa before us. This is the process. We should not be too hasty. We should wait for the mature time. Of course, it is good to be eager to see Kṛṣṇa, but we should not become discouraged if we do not see Him immediately. If a woman gets married and wants a child immediately, she will be disappointed. It is not possible to have a child immediately. She must wait. Similarly, we cannot expect that just because we engage ourselves in Kṛṣṇa consciousness we can see Kṛṣṇa immediately. But we must have faith that we will see Him. We must have firm faith that because we are engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness we shall be able to see Kṛṣṇa face to face. We should not be disappointed. We should simply go on with our Kṛṣṇa conscious activities, and the time will come when we will see Kṛṣṇa, just as Kuntīdevī sees Him face to face. There is no doubt about this.

In the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated that even if one is sometimes found to be somewhat misbehaved, he is to be considered saintly if he engages steadily in the service of Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes American or European devotees may be criticized because they make mistakes and fall short of the system for worshiping the Deity as practiced in India, but still, according to Bhagavad-gītā, they must be considered saintly. We must fix our minds upon serving Kṛṣṇa sincerely and seriously, and then, even if there is some mistake, Kṛṣṇa will excuse it. Rūpa Gosvāmī says, tasmāt kenāpy upāyena manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet: ([[Vanisource:SB 7.1.32|SB 7.1.32]]) we should first fix our minds upon Kṛṣṇa, and then the ability to follow the other rules and regulations will automatically follow. In the beginning we should try our best to fix our minds upon the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, and then everything else will automatically become correct.

Kuntīdevī addresses Kṛṣṇa as Madhupati. Kṛṣṇa has thousands of names, and the name Madhupati indicates that He killed the demon Madhu. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is likened to a river, but not an ordinary river. It is like the River Ganges, which is very pure and directly connected to Kṛṣṇa. Kuntīdevī prays that just as the River Ganges flows toward the sea, her attraction will flow incessantly toward Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet. This is called ananya-bhakti, unalloyed devotion. Thus Kuntīdevī prays that her attraction for Kṛṣṇa will flow without hindrance.
</div>
</div>
</div>

The essential point to remember is that you should try always to please your spiritual master under every condition. That means to follow his orders and instructions very carefully

2025-07-15T12:50:28Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"The essential point to remember is that you should try always to please your spiritual master under every condition. That means to follow his orders and instructions very carefully"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|TariniKalindi}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2015-12-14T16:25:52Z}}
{{last|2015-12-14T16:25:52Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=1}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Essential for Us (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Essential Point]]
[[Category:We Should Always Remember (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Always Try To]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Please Try (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Our (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:I Am Your Spiritual Master (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Under]]
[[Category:Every]]
[[Category:Condition]]
[[Category:That Means...]]
[[Category:Our Following Srila Prabhupada's Instructions (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Orders of Our Spiritual Master (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Follow Very Carefully]]
[[Category:Our Carefulness (Disciples of SP)]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Correspondence</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>1973 Correspondence</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
The essential point to remember is that you should try always to please your spiritual master under every condition. That means to follow his orders and instructions very carefully.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:730109 - Letter to Hasyakari, Rathangapani, Varuthapa, Laksmivan, Bhaktavatsala and Bhaktilila written from Bombay|730109 - Letter to Hasyakari, Rathangapani, Varuthapa, Laksmivan, Bhaktavatsala and Bhaktilila written from Bombay]]
</div>
<div class="text">
January 09, 1973

My Dear Sons and Daughter,

Please accept my blessings. Upon the recommendation of Damodara I have gladly accepted all of you as my duly initiated disciples. Now you may send your beads to Kirtanananda in New Vrindaban for chanting them, as I have empowered him to act on my behalf. Or you may write him and request him to send you new beads, as you arrange. I have given you the spiritual names as follows:

Howard Bernd/ HASYAKARI DAS
Randy Buchert/ RATHANGAPANI DAS
Warren Havens/ VARUTHAPA DAS
Lawson Knight/ LAKSMIVAN DAS
Barry Butler/ BHAKTAVATSALA DAS
Linda Butler/ BHAKTILILA DASI

My request to all of you is that you very seriously stick to the principles of devotional service as you have learned them, and especially observe strictly the four prohibitions and without fail always chant at least 16 rounds on your beads daily. In this way you will be always happy.

Now you have got the golden opportunity of this human form of life, and it is not by accident that you have met your spiritual master, so if you are actually intelligent you will stick very tightly to your position of Krsna Consciousness and go back to home, back to Godhead. The essential point to remember is that you should try always to please your spiritual master under every condition. That means to follow his orders and instructions very carefully. My first instruction to all of my disciples is that they should help me spread this Krsna Consciousness movement all over the world, utilizing their energy as best they are able to do it. In this way, keeping yourselves always engaged in Krsna's business 24 hours, you will become free from all attachment to maya by Krsna's grace. Just as when the darkness and the light come together, the darkness cannot stand before the light, so maya cannot remain in the presence of Krsna. Always remember therefore to chant Hare Krsna and that will save you in all circumstances without any doubt.

Hoping this meets you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
</div>
</div>
</div>

Krsna is My (Radharani's) life and soul. Krsna is the treasure of My life. Indeed, Krsna is the very life of My life. I therefore keep Him always in My heart and try to please Him by rendering service. That is My constant meditation

2025-07-15T09:28:07Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Krsna is My life and soul. Krsna is the treasure of My life. Indeed, Krsna is the very life of My life. I therefore keep Him always in My heart and try to please Him by rendering service. That is My constant meditation"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|MadhuGopaldas}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|27Jul12}}
{{last|27Jul12}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=1|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Krsna Is Radharani's Life and Soul]]
[[Category:God Is The Life and Soul]]
[[Category:Life and Soul of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Krsna Is The Treasure of Radharani's Life]]
[[Category:Indeed]]
[[Category:Very]]
[[Category:Therefore Radharani]]
[[Category:Radharani's Keeping]]
[[Category:Keeping Krsna]]
[[Category:Keeping God]]
[[Category:Always]]
[[Category:Krsna Is Within Radharani's Heart]]
[[Category:God Is Situated Within the Heart of His Devotees]]
[[Category:Radharani's Trying]]
[[Category:Trying of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Radharani's Pleasing Krsna]]
[[Category:Pleasing God]]
[[Category:Radharani's Rendering]]
[[Category:Rendering Service to Krsna]]
[[Category:Rendering Service to God]]
[[Category:That Is]]
[[Category:Radharani Constantly]]
[[Category:Radharani's Meditating on Krsna]]
[[Category:Devotees of God Constantly Meditate Upon God]]
[[Category:Krsna and Radharani]]
[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila Chapter 20 - The Siksastaka Prayers]]
[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 62 Chapters]]
[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila 20 Chapters]]
</div>
<div id="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta" class="section" sec_index="2" parent="compilation" text="Sri Caitanya-caritamrta"><h2>Sri Caitanya-caritamrta</h2>
</div>
<div id="CC_Antya-lila" class="sub_section" sec_index="3" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta" text="CC Antya-lila"><h3>CC Antya-lila</h3>
</div>
<div id="CCAntya2058_0" class="quote" parent="CC_Antya-lila" book="CC" index="3104" link="CC Antya 20.58" link_text="CC Antya 20.58">
<div class="heading">“Kṛṣṇa is My life and soul. Kṛṣṇa is the treasure of My life. Indeed, Kṛṣṇa is the very life of My life. I therefore keep Him always in My heart and try to please Him by rendering service. That is My constant meditation.
</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:CC Antya 20.58|CC Antya 20.58, Translation]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="trans text"><p style="display: inline;">“Kṛṣṇa is My life and soul. Kṛṣṇa is the treasure of My life. Indeed, Kṛṣṇa is the very life of My life. I therefore keep Him always in My heart and try to please Him by rendering service. That is My constant meditation.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

Krsna always tries to please His devotees as much as the devotees try to please Krsna. As the devotees always think of Krsna within their hearts, Krsna also thinks of His devotees within Himself

2025-07-15T09:09:17Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Krsna always tries to please His devotees as much as the devotees try to please Krsna. As the devotees always think of Krsna within their hearts, Krsna also thinks of His devotees within Himself"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|MadhuGopaldas}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|31Oct12}}
{{last|31Oct12}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=1|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Krsna Always]]
[[Category:God Always]]
[[Category:Krsna's Trying]]
[[Category:God's Trying]]
[[Category:Krsna's Pleasing]]
[[Category:God's Pleasing]]
[[Category:Krsna's Devotees]]
[[Category:Devotees of God]]
[[Category:As Much As]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Pleasing Krsna]]
[[Category:Pleasing God]]
[[Category:Always Thinking of Krsna]]
[[Category:Always Thinking of God]]
[[Category:Krsna Within Our Hearts]]
[[Category:God Within Our Hearts]]
[[Category:Heart of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Krsna's Thinking]]
[[Category:God's Thinking]]
[[Category:Within Krsna]]
[[Category:Within God]]
[[Category:Krsna Himself]]
[[Category:God Himself]]
[[Category:Krsna Book Chapter 48 - Krsna Pleases His Devotees]]
[[Category:Krsna Book Chapters 01 to 90]]
</div>
<div id="Other_Books_by_Srila_Prabhupada" class="section" sec_index="3" parent="compilation" text="Other Books by Srila Prabhupada"><h2>Other Books by Srila Prabhupada</h2>
</div>
<div id="Krsna_The_Supreme_Personality_of_Godhead" class="sub_section" sec_index="4" parent="Other_Books_by_Srila_Prabhupada" text="Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead"><h3>Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead</h3>
</div>
<div id="KB48_0" class="quote" parent="Krsna,_The_Supreme_Personality_of_Godhead" book="OB" index="52" link="KB 48" link_text="Krsna Book 48">
<div class="heading">Lord Kṛṣṇa then decided to go to the house of Kubjā, the hunchback woman who had pleased Him by offering Him sandalwood pulp when He was entering the city of Mathurā. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa always tries to please His devotees as much as the devotees try to please Kṛṣṇa. As the devotees always think of Kṛṣṇa within their hearts, Kṛṣṇa also thinks of His devotees within Himself.
</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:KB 48|Krsna Book 48]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">For days together, Kṛṣṇa heard from Uddhava all the details of his visit to Vṛndāvana, especially the condition of His father and mother and of the gopīs and the cowherd boys. Lord Kṛṣṇa was fully satisfied that Uddhava was able to solace them by his instructions and by the message delivered to them.</p>
<p>Lord Kṛṣṇa then decided to go to the house of Kubjā, the hunchback woman who had pleased Him by offering Him sandalwood pulp when He was entering the city of Mathurā. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa always tries to please His devotees as much as the devotees try to please Kṛṣṇa. As the devotees always think of Kṛṣṇa within their hearts, Kṛṣṇa also thinks of His devotees within Himself. When Kubjā was converted into a beautiful society girl, she wanted Kṛṣṇa to come to her place so that she could try to receive and worship Him in her own way. Society girls generally try to satisfy their clients by offering their bodies for the men to enjoy. But this society girl, Kubjā, was actually captivated by a lust to satisfy her senses with Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa desired to go to the house of Kubjā, He certainly had no desire for sense gratification. By supplying the sandalwood pulp to Kṛṣṇa, Kubjā had already satisfied His senses. On the plea of her sense gratification, however, He decided to go to her house, not actually for sense gratification but to turn her into a pure devotee. Kṛṣṇa is always served by many thousands of goddesses of fortune; therefore He has no need to satisfy His senses by going to a society girl. But because He is kind to everyone, He decided to go there. It is said that the moon does not withhold its shining from the courtyard of a crooked person. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's transcendental mercy is never denied to anyone who has rendered service unto Him, whether through lust, anger, fear or pure love. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is stated that if one wants to serve Kṛṣṇa and at the same time wants to satisfy his own lusty desires, Kṛṣṇa will handle the situation so that the devotee forgets his lusty desires and becomes fully purified and constantly engaged in the service of the Lord.</p>
<p>To fulfill His promise, Kṛṣṇa, along with Uddhava, went to the house of Kubjā, who was very eager to get Kṛṣṇa for the satisfaction of her lusty desires. When Kṛṣṇa reached her house, He saw that it was completely decorated in a way to excite the lusty desires of a man. This suggests that there were many nude pictures, on top of which were canopies and flags embroidered with pearl necklaces, along with comfortable beds and cushioned chairs. The rooms were provided with flower garlands and were nicely scented with incense and sprinkled with scented water. And the rooms were illuminated by nice lamps.</p>
<p>When Kubjā saw that Lord Kṛṣṇa had come to her house to fulfill His promised visit, she immediately got up from her chair to receive Him cordially. Accompanied by her many girlfriends, she began to talk with Him with great respect and honor. After offering Him a nice place to sit, she worshiped Lord Kṛṣṇa in a manner just suitable to her position. Uddhava was similarly received by Kubjā and her girlfriends, but he did not want to sit on an equal level with Kṛṣṇa, and thus he simply sat down on the floor.</p>
<p>As one usually does in such situations, Kṛṣṇa entered the bedroom of Kubjā without wasting time. In the meantime, Kubjā took her bath and smeared her body with sandalwood pulp. She dressed herself with nice garments, valuable jewelry, ornaments and flower garlands. After chewing betel nut and other intoxicating eatables and spraying herself with scents, she appeared before Kṛṣṇa. Her smiling glance and moving eyebrows were full of feminine bashfulness as she stood gracefully before Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is known as Mādhava, the husband of the goddess of fortune. When Kṛṣṇa saw Kubjā hesitating to come before Him, He immediately caught hold of her hand, which was decorated with bangles. With great affection, He dragged her near Him and made her sit by His side. Simply by having previously supplied pulp of sandalwood to the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, Kubjā became free from all sinful reactions and eligible to enjoy with Him. She then took Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet and placed them on her breasts, which were burning with the blazing fire of lust. By smelling the fragrance of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, she was immediately relieved of all lusty desires. She was thus allowed to embrace Kṛṣṇa with her arms and mitigate her long-cherished desire to have Him as a visitor in her house.</p>
<p>It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that one must be freed of all material sinful reactions before one can engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Simply by supplying sandalwood pulp to Kṛṣṇa, Kubjā was thus rewarded. She was not trained to worship Kṛṣṇa in any other way; therefore she wanted to satisfy Him by her profession. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā that the Lord can be worshiped even by one's profession, if it is sincerely offered for the pleasure of the Lord. Kubjā told Kṛṣṇa, "My dear friend, kindly remain with me at least for a few days and enjoy with me. My dear lotus-eyed friend, I cannot leave You immediately. Please grant my request."</p>
<p>As stated in the Vedic versions, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has multipotencies. According to expert opinion, Kubjā represents the bhū-śakti potency of Kṛṣṇa, just as Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī represents His cit-śakti potency. Although Kubjā requested Kṛṣṇa to remain with her for some days, Kṛṣṇa politely impressed upon her that it was not possible for Him to stay. Kṛṣṇa visits this material world occasionally, whereas His connection with the spiritual world is eternal. Kṛṣṇa is always present either in the Vaikuṇṭha planets or in the Goloka Vṛndāvana planet. The technical term of His presence in the spiritual world is aprakaṭa-līlā.</p>
<p>After satisfying Kubjā with sweet words, Kṛṣṇa returned home with Uddhava. There is a warning in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that Kṛṣṇa is not very easily worshiped, for He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the chief among the viṣṇu-tattvas. To worship Kṛṣṇa or have association with Him is not very easy. Specifically, there is a warning for devotees attracted to Kṛṣṇa through conjugal love: it is not good for them to desire sense gratification by direct association with Kṛṣṇa. Actually, the activities of sense gratification are material. In the spiritual world there are symptoms like kissing and embracing, but there is no sense-gratificatory process as it exists in the material world. This warning is specifically for those known as sahajiyās, who take it for granted that Kṛṣṇa is an ordinary human being. They desire to enjoy sex life with Him in a perverted way. In a spiritual relationship, sense gratification is most insignificant. Anyone who desires a relationship of perverted sense gratification with Kṛṣṇa must be considered less intelligent. His mentality requires to be reformed.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

I have got many other Godbrothers, but I was particularly ordered to do this from the very beginning. So I am trying to please my spiritual master. That's all

2025-07-15T09:01:15Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"I have got many other Godbrothers, but I was particularly ordered to do this, and from the very beginning. So I am trying to please my spiritual master. That's all"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Visnu Murti}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|02Nov10}}
{{last|02Nov10}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=1|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:I Have Got (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Many Other]]
[[Category:My Godbrothers (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:I Was (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Particularly]]
[[Category:Orders of My Spiritual Master (Bhaktisiddhanta)]]
[[Category:From The Very Beginning]]
[[Category:I Am Trying (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Pleasing a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:My Spiritual Master (Bhaktisiddhanta)]]
[[Category:That's All]]
[[Category:Prabhupada and Bhaktisiddhanta]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Room Conversations, 1966 - 1977]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Room Conversations, 1971]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - in USA, Gainesville]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - His Life]]
</div>
<div id="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="section" sec_index="5" parent="compilation" text="Conversations and Morning Walks"><h2>Conversations and Morning Walks</h2>
</div>
<div id="1971_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="sub_section" sec_index="4" parent="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" text="1971 Conversations and Morning Walks"><h3>1971 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
</div>
<div id="TelevisionInterviewJuly291971Gainesville_0" class="quote" parent="1971_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" book="Con" index="11" link="Television Interview -- July 29, 1971, Gainesville" link_text="Television Interview -- July 29, 1971, Gainesville">
<div class="heading">I have got many other Godbrothers, but I was particularly ordered to do this from the very beginning. So I am trying to please my spiritual master. That's all.
</div>

<mp3player>https://vanipedia.s3.amazonaws.com/clip/710729IV-GAINESVILLE_clip2.mp3</mp3player>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Television Interview -- July 29, 1971, Gainesville|Television Interview -- July 29, 1971, Gainesville]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">
Interviewer: You came, sir, to this country in 1965, as I said, on instructions or orders given you by your spiritual master. By the way, who was your spiritual master?

Prabhupāda: My spiritual master was Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Paramahaṁsa Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda.

Interviewer: Now, in this line of succession that we were talking about earlier, this disciplic line of succession which goes way back, all the way back to Kṛṣṇa Himself, right, was your spiritual master the previous one before you?

Prabhupāda: Yes. With disciplic succession is coming from Kṛṣṇa since five thousand years.

Interviewer: Is your spiritual master still alive?

Prabhupāda: No. He has passed away in 1936.

Interviewer: So you are at this particular time then, sort of, the head in the world of this movement? Would that be correct?

Prabhupāda: I have got many other Godbrothers, but I was particularly ordered to do this, and from the very beginning. So I am trying to please my spiritual master. That's all.

Interviewer: Now, you were sent to this country, to the United States of America. This is your territory. Is that correct?

Prabhupāda: Hmm. No. My territory, what he said that, "You go and speak this philosophy to the English-knowing public."

Interviewer: To the English-speaking world.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And especially in the Western world. Yes. He told me like that.

Interviewer: When you came, sir, to this country about fifteen, sixteen years ago and started . . .

Prabhupāda: No, no, not fifteen, sixteen years.

Interviewer: Five, six years ago—I beg your pardon—to this part of the world, you did not come to a part of the world where religion was lacking as such, you know. In the United States of America we have many religions, and I think people in this country like to believe, in great majority, that they are religious people, people who believe in God, you know, who devote themselves to some form of religious expression.

And I wonder what your thinking was. What do you think that you could add to the already living religious expression in this country by coming here and adding your own philosophy to it?

Prabhupāda: Yes. When I first came to your country I was guest of an Indian friend at Butler.

Interviewer: In Pennsylvania.

Prabhupāda: Pennsylvania. Yes. So although it was a small county, I was very much engladdened there were so many churches.

Interviewer: So many churches. Yes. Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So many churches. And I spoke in many of the churches there. My host arranged for that. So it was not with that purpose that I came here to defeat some religious process. That was not my purpose. Our mission is, Lord Caitanya's mission is, to teach everyone how to love God, that's all.

Interviewer: But in what way, sir, may I ask, in what way did you think, and do you think right now, that the teaching of the love of God which you are doing is different and perhaps better than the teachings of the love of God which already were being conducted in this country and have been conducted in the Western world for centuries?

Prabhupāda: That is fact. Because we are following the footsteps of Lord Caitanya. He is considered . . . He's accepted by us—according to the authority of Vedic literature—He is personally Kṛṣṇa.

Interviewer: Which Lord is that?

Prabhupāda: Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya.

Interviewer: Oh, yes. He is the one who came back five hundred years ago to India?

Prabhupāda: India, yes. So He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, and He is teaching how to love Kṛṣṇa. Therefore His process is most authorized. Just like you are the expert in this establishment. If somebody is doing something, if you personally teach him, "Do like this," that is very authorized. So God consciousness, God Himself is teaching. Just like in ''Bhagavad-gītā'', Kṛṣṇa is God, He is speaking about Himself. And at last He says: "Just surrender unto Me. I take charge of . . ." But people misunderstand.

So Lord Caitanya . . . Kṛṣṇa again came, as Lord Caitanya, to teach people how to surrender. And because we are following the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, the method is so sublime that even foreigners who never knew Kṛṣṇa, they are surrendering. The method is so potent. So that was my purpose. We don't say that, "This religion is better than this religion," or "My process is better." We want to see by the result. In the Sanskrit there is a word, ''phalena paricīyate''. A thing is judged by the result.

I am praying to my spiritual master to give me strength to finish this work. I am neither a great scholar nor a great devotee; I am simply a humble servant of him, and to the best of my ability I am trying to please him by publishing these books

2025-07-15T08:56:43Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"I am praying to my spiritual master to give me strength to finish this work. I am neither a great scholar nor a great devotee; I am simply a humble servant of my spiritual master, and to the best of my ability I am trying to please him by publishing these books"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Visnu Murti}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|16Nov10}}
{{last|16Nov10}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=1|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:I Am (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:I Pray (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:My Spiritual Master (Bhaktisiddhanta)]]
[[Category:Praying to a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:Give Me (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Me (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:My Strength (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Finish]]
[[Category:My Work (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:I Am Not (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Great]]
[[Category:Scholars]]
[[Category:Great Devotees of God]]
[[Category:I Am Simply (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:My Humble... (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:My Service (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Servant of a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:Humble Servants]]
[[Category:Trying My Best (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:The Best of Our Ability]]
[[Category:My Ability (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:I Am Trying (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Pleasing a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:Publishing My Books (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Prabhupada and Bhaktisiddhanta]]
[[Category:Prabhupada and His Humility]]
</div>
<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam" class="section" sec_index="1" parent="compilation" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam"><h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
</div>
<div id="SB_Canto_8" class="sub_section" sec_index="8" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam" text="SB Canto 8"><h3>SB Canto 8</h3>
</div>
<div id="SB81Summary_0" class="quote" parent="SB_Canto_8" book="SB" index="1" link="SB 8.1 Summary" link_text="SB 8.1 Summary">
<div class="heading">On this occasion, therefore, I am praying to my spiritual master to give me strength to finish this work. I am neither a great scholar nor a great devotee; I am simply a humble servant of my spiritual master, and to the best of my ability I am trying to please him by publishing these books, with the cooperation of my disciples in America.
</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:SB 8.1 Summary|SB 8.1 Summary]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">First of all, let me offer my humble, respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda. Sometime in the year 1935 when His Divine Grace was staying at Rādhā-kuṇḍa, I went to see him from Bombay. At that time, he gave me many important instructions in regard to constructing temples and publishing books. He personally told me that publishing books is more important than constructing temples. Of course, those same instructions remained within my mind for many years. In 1944 I began publishing my Back to Godhead, and when I retired from family life in 1958 I began publishing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in Delhi. When three parts of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam had been published in India, I then started for the United States of America on the thirteenth of August, 1965.</p>
<p>I am continuously trying to publish books, as suggested by my spiritual master. Now, in this year, 1976, I have completed the Seventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and a summary of the Tenth Canto has already been published as Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Still, the Eighth Canto, Ninth Canto, Tenth Canto, Eleventh Canto and Twelfth Canto are yet to be published. On this occasion, therefore, I am praying to my spiritual master to give me strength to finish this work. I am neither a great scholar nor a great devotee; I am simply a humble servant of my spiritual master, and to the best of my ability I am trying to please him by publishing these books, with the cooperation of my disciples in America. Fortunately, scholars all over the world are appreciating these publications. Let us cooperatively publish more and more volumes of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam just to please His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.</p>
<p>This First Chapter of the Eighth Canto may be summarized as a description of four Manus, namely Svāyambhuva, Svārociṣa, Uttama and Tāmasa. After hearing descriptions of the dynasty of Svāyambhuva Manu until the end of the Seventh Canto, Mahārāja Parīkṣit desired to know about other Manus. He desired to understand how the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends-not only in the past but at the present and in the future-and how He acts in various pastimes as Manu. Since Parīkṣit Mahārāja was eager to know all this, Śukadeva Gosvāmī gradually described all the Manus, beginning with the six Manus who had appeared in the past.</p>
<p>The first Manu was Svāyambhuva Manu. His two daughters, namely Ākūti and Devahūti, gave birth to two sons, named Yajña and Kapila respectively. Because Śukadeva Gosvāmī had already described the activities of Kapila in the Third Canto, he now described the activities of Yajña. The original Manu, along with his wife, Śatarūpā, went into the forest to practice austerities on the bank of the River Sunandā. They practiced austerities for a hundred years, and then Manu, in a trance, formed prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Rākṣasas and asuras then attempted to devour him, but Yajña, accompanied by his sons the Yāmas and the demigods, killed them. Then Yajña personally took the post of Indra, the King of the heavenly planets.</p>
<p>The second Manu, whose name was Svārociṣa, was the son of Agni, and His sons were headed by Dyumat, Suṣeṇa and Rociṣmat. In the age of this Manu, Rocana became Indra, the ruler of the heavenly planets, and there were many demigods, headed by Tuṣita. There were also many saintly persons, such as Ūrja and Stambha. Among them was Vedaśirā, whose wife, Tuṣitā, gave birth to Vibhu. Vibhu instructed eighty-eight thousand dṛḍha-vratas, or saintly persons, on self-control and austerity.</p>
<p>Uttama, the son of Priyavrata, was the third Manu. Among his sons were Pavana, Sṛñjaya and Yajñahotra. During the reign of this Manu, the sons of Vasiṣṭha, headed by Pramada, became the seven saintly persons. The Satyas, Devaśrutas and Bhadras became the demigods, and Satyajit became Indra. From the womb of Sunṛtā, the wife of Dharma, the Lord appeared as Satyasena, and He killed all the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas who were fighting with Satyajit.</p>
<p>Tāmasa, the brother of the third Manu, was the fourth Manu, and he had ten sons, including Pṛthu, Khyāti, Nara and Ketu. During his reign, the Satyakas, Haris, Vīras and others were demigods, the seven great saints were headed by Jyotirdhāma, and Triśikha became Indra. Harimedhā begot a son named Hari in the womb of his wife Hariṇī. This Hari, an incarnation of God, saved the devotee Gajendra. This incident is described as gajendra-mokṣaṇa. At the end of this chapter, Parīkṣit Mahārāja particularly asks about this incident.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

It is the duty of every initiated disciple to try and please the spiritual master by rendering service and inquiring submissively

2025-07-15T08:50:04Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"It is the duty of every initiated disciple to try and please the spiritual master by rendering service and inquiring submissively"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Nabakumar}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2023-01-11T05:01:28Z}}
{{last|2023-01-11T05:01:28Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=1}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Duties of a Disciple]]
[[Category:Every]]
[[Category:My Initiated Disciples (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Pleasing a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:Our Service (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Render Service]]
[[Category:Serving a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:Our Inquiries (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Submissive Inquiry]]
[[Category:Inquiring from a Spiritual Master]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Correspondence</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>1976 Correspondence</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
Preaching is our life. But in order to preach one must become firmly fixed in the spiritual practices otherwise his words will not act. It is the duty of every initiated disciple to try and please the spiritual master by rendering service and inquiring submissively. There should also be an offering of daksina whenever one presents himself for initiation.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:760820 - Letter to Taksya written from Hyderabad|760820 - Letter to Taksya written from Hyderabad]]
</div>
<div class="text">
Kindly take up the mission of spreading the message of the Lord all over the world with greater and greater enthusiasm. Preaching is our life. But in order to preach one must become firmly fixed in the spiritual practices otherwise his words will not act. It is the duty of every initiated disciple to try and please the spiritual master by rendering service and inquiring submissively. There should also be an offering of daksina whenever one presents himself for initiation.
</div>
</div>
</div>

If you find out such person, then surrender there. Pranipata. And try to serve him, try to please him, and question him. The whole thing will reveal. You have to find out such an authoritative person and surrender unto him

2025-07-15T08:31:12Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"If you find out such person, then surrender there. Pranipata. And try to serve him, try to please him, and question him. The whole thing will reveal. You have to find out such an authoritative person and surrender unto him"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|MadhuGopaldas}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|03Apr12}}
{{last|03Apr12}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=1|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:If You]]
[[Category:Find Out]]
[[Category:Person]]
[[Category:Surrendering to Devotees of God]]
[[Category:Trying to Serve]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Questions to Devotees of God]]
[[Category:Whole Thing]]
[[Category:Reveal]]
[[Category:You Have]]
[[Category:Authoritative Persons]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, 1966 - 1977]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, 1967]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, Bhagavad-gita As It Is]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - in USA, New York]]
</div>
<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
</div>
<div id="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="0" parent="Lectures" text="Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures"><h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
</div>
<div id="LectureonBG1023NewYorkJanuary11967_0" class="quote" parent="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" book="Lec" index="330" link="Lecture on BG 10.2-3 -- New York, January 1, 1967" link_text="Lecture on BG 10.2-3 -- New York, January 1, 1967">
<div class="heading">If you find out such person, then surrender there. Praṇipāta. And try to serve him, try to please him, and question him. The whole thing will reveal. You have to find out such an authoritative person and surrender unto him. Surrendering unto him means surrendering unto God because he is God's representative. But you are allowed to make questions, not to waste time, but for understanding. That is called paripraśna.
</div>
<mp3player>https://s3.amazonaws.com/vanipedia/clip/670101BG.NY_clip.mp3</mp3player>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on BG 10.2-3 -- New York, January 1, 1967|Lecture on BG 10.2-3 -- New York, January 1, 1967]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">The process is... That is also mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā ([[Vanisource:BG 4.34 (1972)|BG 4.34]]). If you want to understand that transcendental science, then you have to follow this principle. What is that? Tad viddhi praṇipātena. You have to surrender. The same thing: just like namanta eva. Unless you become submissive, you cannot be a surrendered soul.</p>
<p>And where? Praṇipāta. Where you will find a person that "He is... Here is a person where I can surrender"? Then that means we have to make a little test where to surrender. That much knowledge you must have. Don't surrender to any nonsense. You have to... And how that intelligent or nonsense can be found out? That is also mentioned in the śāstra. That is mentioned in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad. Tad viddhi praṇipātena pari... ([[Vanisource:BG 4.34 (1972)|BG 4.34]]). Kaṭha Upaniṣad says that tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12). This śrotriyam means that one who is coming in disciplic succession. And what is the proof that he has come under the disciplic succession? Brahma-niṣṭham. Brahma-niṣṭham means he is fully convinced about the Supreme Absolute Truth. So there you have to surrender. Praṇipāta. Praṇipāta means prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa nipātam, no reservation.</p>
<p>If you find out such person, then surrender there. Praṇipāta. And try to serve him, try to please him, and question him. The whole thing will reveal. You have to find out such an authoritative person and surrender unto him. Surrendering unto him means surrendering unto God because he is God's representative. But you are allowed to make questions, not to waste time, but for understanding. That is called paripraśna. These are the process. So everything is there. We have simply to adopt it. But if we don't adopt the process and simply waste our time by intoxication and speculation and all nonsensical activities, oh, that is not possible ever. You'll never understand what is God. Because God is not understandable even by the demigods and by the great sages. What is our teeny efforts?</p>
<p>So these are the process. And if you follow, asammūḍhaḥ, asammūḍhaḥ, if you follow the principles and slow but sure, asammūḍhaḥ, without any doubt, if you make... That is the... Pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyam. If you follow, you'll understand, yourself, "Yes. I am getting something." It is not that you are in blindness, you are blindly following. As you follow the principles, you'll understand.</p>
<p>Just like if you eat proper nourishing foodstuff, you'll feel yourself strength and your hunger satisfied. You haven't got to ask anybody. You'll feel yourself. Similarly, if you come to the proper path and if you follow the principle, you'll understand, "Yes, I am making progress." Pratyakṣa... In the ninth chapter He has said pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ susukham.</p>
<p>And it is very easy. And you can do in happy mood. And what is the process? We chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and eat kṛṣṇa-prasāda and study Bhagavad-gītā philosophy, hear nice musical sounds. Is it very difficult? Is it very difficult? Not at all. So by this process you'll be asammūḍhaḥ. Nobody can cheat you. But if you want to be cheated there are so many cheaters. So don't make a cheater and cheated society. Just follow the paramparā system as it is prescribed in the Vedic literature, as it is recommended by Kṛṣṇa. Try to understand it from the authoritative source and try to apply it in your life.</p>
<p>Then asammūḍhaḥ sa martyeṣu. Martyeṣu means... Martya means those who are eligible for dying. Who are? These conditioned souls, beginning from Brahmā down to the insignificant ant, they are all martya. Martya means there is a time when they will die. So martyeṣu. Amongst the dying mortals he becomes the most intelligent. Asammūḍhaḥ sa martyeṣu. Why? Sarva-pāpaiḥ pramucyate. He is free from all kinds of reactions of sinful action.</p>
<p>In this world, in this material world, I mean to say, knowingly or unknowingly, we are all always committing sinful acts. So we have to get out of this reaction. And how to get out of it? That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 3.9 (1972)|BG 3.9]]). If you do, act only for Kṛṣṇa... Yajña means Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa. If you only act for Kṛṣṇa, then you are freed from the reaction of anything. Śubhāśubha-phalaiḥ. We do something auspicious or inauspicious. But those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and acting in that way, he has nothing to do with what is auspicious or inauspicious because he's in touch with the most auspicious, Kṛṣṇa. So therefore sarva-pāpaiḥ pramucyate. He becomes freed from all reactions of sinful activities.</p>
<p>This is the process. And if we adopt this process, so ultimately we can get in touch with Kṛṣṇa and our life becomes successful. The process is very simple, and we can, everyone can adopt. Thank you very much. (end)</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

First one should try to please the spiritual master, and then one should attempt to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura also says, yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado

2025-07-15T08:21:40Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"First one should try to please the spiritual master, and then one should attempt to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura also says, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Nirmal}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2020-12-05T10:11:20Z}}
{{last|2020-12-05T10:11:20Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=1|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:First]]
[[Category:One Should]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Pleasing a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:Attempt]]
[[Category:Pleasing God]]
[[Category:Supreme Personality of Godhead]]
[[Category:Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura]]
[[Category:A Spiritual Master Says]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 07 Chapter 09 Purports - Prahlada Pacifies Lord Nrsimhadeva with Prayers]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 07 Purports]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>SB Canto 7</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
First one should try to please the spiritual master, and then one should attempt to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura also says, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo. One should not attempt to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead by concoction. One must first be prepared to serve the spiritual master, and when one is qualified he is automatically offered the platform of direct service to the Lord.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:SB 7.9.28|SB 7.9.28, Translation and Purport]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, because of my association with material desires, one after another, I was gradually falling into a blind well full of snakes, following the general populace. But Your servant Nārada Muni kindly accepted me as his disciple and instructed me how to achieve this transcendental position. Therefore, my first duty is to serve him. How could I leave his service?
</div>
<div class="text">
As will be seen in later verses, even though Prahlāda Mahārāja was directly offered all the benedictions he might have desired, he refused to accept such offerings from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. On the contrary, he asked the Lord to engage him in the service of His servant Nārada Muni. This is the symptom of a pure devotee. One should serve the spiritual master first. It is not that one should bypass the spiritual master and desire to serve the Supreme Lord. This is not the principle for a Vaiṣṇava. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says:

<div class="quote_verse">
:tāṅdera caraṇa sevi bhakta-sane vāsa
:janame janame haya, ei abhilāṣa
</div>

One should not be anxious to offer direct service to the Lord. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised that one become a servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord (gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 13.80|CC Madhya 13.80]])). This is the process for approaching the Supreme Lord. The first service should be rendered to the spiritual master so that by his mercy one can approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead to render service. While teaching Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja: ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 19.151|CC Madhya 19.151]]) one can achieve the seed of devotional service by the mercy of the guru, the spiritual master, and then by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. This is the secret of success. First one should try to please the spiritual master, and then one should attempt to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura also says, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo. One should not attempt to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead by concoction. One must first be prepared to serve the spiritual master, and when one is qualified he is automatically offered the platform of direct service to the Lord. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja proposed that he engage in the service of Nārada Muni. He never proposed that he engage directly in the service of the Lord. This is the right conclusion. Therefore he said, so 'haṁ kathaṁ nu visṛje tava bhṛtya-sevām: "How can I give up the service of my spiritual master, who has favored me in such a way that I am now able to see You face to face?" Prahlāda Mahārāja prayed to the Lord that he might continue to engage in the service of his spiritual master, Nārada Muni.
</div>
</div>
</div>

Everyone must act according to his position and try to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for that will make one's life successful. This was instructed in Naimisaranya - in SB 1.2.13

2025-07-15T08:18:08Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Everyone must act according to his position and try to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for that will make one's life successful. This was instructed in Naimiṣāraṇya"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Nirmal}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2021-01-08T13:58:44Z}}
{{last|2021-01-08T13:58:44Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=1|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Everyone]]
[[Category:Must Act]]
[[Category:Act According To]]
[[Category:Position]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Pleasing God]]
[[Category:Supreme Personality of Godhead]]
[[Category:That Will]]
[[Category:One (as in someone)]]
[[Category:Make Life Successful]]
[[Category:Instructions of the Srimad-Bhagavatam]]
[[Category:Naimisaranya]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 07 Chapter 15 Purports - Instructions for Civilized Human Beings]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 07 Purports]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>SB Canto 7</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
Generally society is divided into brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, brahmacārīs, vānaprasthas, sannyāsīs and gṛhasthas. Everyone must act according to his position and try to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for that will make one's life successful. This was instructed in Naimiṣāraṇya.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:SB 7.15.66|SB 7.15.66, Translation and Purport]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
In normal conditions, in the absence of danger, O King Yudhiṣṭhira, a man should perform his prescribed activities according to his status of life with the things, endeavors, process and living place that are not forbidden for him, and not by any other means.
</div>
<div class="text">
This instruction is given for men in all statuses of life. Generally society is divided into brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, brahmacārīs, vānaprasthas, sannyāsīs and gṛhasthas. Everyone must act according to his position and try to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for that will make one's life successful. This was instructed in Naimiṣāraṇya:

<div class="quote_verse">
:ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā
:varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ
:svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya
:saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam
</div>

"O best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve, by discharging his prescribed duties [dharma] according to caste divisions and order of life, is to please the Lord Hari." ([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.13|SB 1.2.13]]) Everyone should act according to his occupational duties just to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then everyone will be happy.
</div>
</div>
</div>

Because the common man is unable to control the senses and the mind, it is his duty to seek the shelter of a great soul or a great devotee of the Lord and just try to please him. That will make his life perfect

2025-07-15T07:52:58Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Because the common man is unable to control the senses and the mind, it is his duty to seek the shelter of a great soul or a great devotee of the Lord and just try to please him. That will make his life perfect"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|JahnaviCandrika}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2020-08-07T08:46:17Z}}
{{last|2020-08-07T08:46:17Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=1|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Because]]
[[Category:Common Man]]
[[Category:Unable]]
[[Category:Able to Control the Senses]]
[[Category:Control the Mind]]
[[Category:Intelligence, Mind and Senses]]
[[Category:Duty]]
[[Category:Seeking Shelter]]
[[Category:Shelter of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Great Souls]]
[[Category:Great Devotees of God]]
[[Category:Just Try]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Pleasing Devotees of God]]
[[Category:That Will]]
[[Category:Making Our Life Perfect]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 03 Chapter 22 Purports - The Marriage of Kardama Muni and Devahuti]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 03 Purports]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>SB Canto 3</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
Because the common man is unable to control the senses and the mind, it is his duty to seek the shelter of a great soul or a great devotee of the Lord and just try to please him. That will make his life perfect. A common man cannot rise to the topmost stage of spiritual perfection simply by following the rituals and religious principles. He has to take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and work under his direction faithfully and sincerely; then he becomes perfect, without a doubt.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:SB 3.22.6|SB 3.22.6, Translation and Purport]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
It is my good fortune that I have been able to see you, for you cannot easily be seen by persons who have not subdued the mind or controlled the senses. I am all the more fortunate to have touched with my head the blessed dust of your feet.
</div>
<div class="text">
The perfection of transcendental life can be achieved simply by touching the holy dust of the lotus feet of a holy man. In the Bhāgavatam it is said, mahat-pāda-rajo-'bhiṣekam, which means to be blessed by the holy dust of the lotus feet of a mahat, a great devotee. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, mahātmānas tu: those who are great souls are under the spell of spiritual energy, and their symptom is that they fully engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness for the service of the Lord. Therefore they are called mahat. Unless one is fortunate enough to have the dust of the lotus feet of a mahātmā on one's head, there is no possibility of perfection in spiritual life.

The paramparā system of disciplic succession is very important as a means of spiritual success. One becomes a mahat by the grace of his mahat spiritual master. If one takes shelter of the lotus feet of a great soul, there is every possibility of one's also becoming a great soul. When Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa asked Jaḍa Bharata about his wonderful achievement of spiritual success, he replied to the King that spiritual success is not possible simply by following the rituals of religion or simply by converting oneself into a sannyāsī or offering sacrifices as recommended in the scriptures. These methods are undoubtedly helpful for spiritual realization, but the real effect is brought about by the grace of a mahātmā. In Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura's eight stanzas of prayer to the spiritual master, it is clearly stated that simply by satisfying the spiritual master one can achieve the supreme success in life, and in spite of executing all ritualistic performances, if one cannot satisfy the spiritual master, one has no access to spiritual perfection. Here the word akṛtātmanām is very significant. Ātmā means "body," "soul," or "mind," and akṛtātmā means the common man, who cannot control the senses or the mind. Because the common man is unable to control the senses and the mind, it is his duty to seek the shelter of a great soul or a great devotee of the Lord and just try to please him. That will make his life perfect. A common man cannot rise to the topmost stage of spiritual perfection simply by following the rituals and religious principles. He has to take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and work under his direction faithfully and sincerely; then he becomes perfect, without a doubt.
</div>
</div>
</div>

A dog always keeps himself at his master's door and does not allow any person unfavorable to the master to enter. Similarly, one should engage in the service of a Vaisnava and try to please him in every respect

2025-07-15T07:47:10Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"A dog always keeps himself at his master's door and does not allow any person unfavorable to the master to enter. Similarly, one should engage in the service of a Vaisnava and try to please him in every respect"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Krsnadas}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|08Nov11}}
{{last|08Nov11}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=1|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Dog]]
[[Category:Always]]
[[Category:Keep]]
[[Category:Himself]]
[[Category:Master]]
[[Category:Door]]
[[Category:Do Not Allow]]
[[Category:Person]]
[[Category:Unfavorable]]
[[Category:Enter]]
[[Category:Similarly]]
[[Category:Engaging in the Service of Great Devotees of God]]
[[Category:Serving Devotees of God‎]]
[[Category:Vaisnava - Devotees of God]]
[[Category:One Should]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:In Every Respect]]
[[Category:One Should Try to Please Devotees of God In Every Respect]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 04 Chapter 29 Purports - Talks Between Narada and King Pracinabarhi]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 04 Purports]]
</div>
<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam" class="section" sec_index="1" parent="compilation" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam"><h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
</div>
<div id="SB_Canto_4" class="sub_section" sec_index="4" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam" text="SB Canto 4"><h3>SB Canto 4</h3>
</div>
<div id="SB4293031_0" class="quote" parent="SB_Canto_4" book="SB" index="1258" link="SB 4.29.30-31" link_text="SB 4.29.30-31">
<div class="heading">In the material world a dog is sometimes elevated and is sometimes on the street, but in the spiritual world, Kṛṣṇa's dog is perpetually, eternally happy. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has therefore sung: vaiṣṇava ṭhākura tomāra kukura baliyā jānaha more. In this way Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura offers to become a Vaiṣṇava's dog. A dog always keeps himself at his master's door and does not allow any person unfavorable to the master to enter. Similarly, one should engage in the service of a Vaiṣṇava and try to please him in every respect. Unless one does so, he does not make spiritual advancement.
</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:SB 4.29.30-31|SB 4.29.30-31, Translation and Purport]]: </span><div class="trans text" style="display: inline; "><p style="display: inline; ">The living entity is exactly like a dog, who, overcome with hunger, goes from door to door for some food. According to his destiny, he sometimes receives punishment and is driven out and at other times receives a little food to eat. Similarly, the living entity, being influenced by so many desires, wanders in different species of life according to destiny. Sometimes he is high, and sometimes he is low. Sometimes he goes to the heavenly planets, sometimes to hell, sometimes to the middle planets, and so on.</p>
</div>
<div class="purport text"><p>The living entity's position is herein likened to a dog's. By chance a dog may have a very rich owner, and by chance he may become a street dog. As the dog of a rich man, he will live very opulently. Sometimes in Western countries we hear of a master leaving millions of dollars to a dog in his will. Of course, there are many dogs loitering in the street without food. Therefore, to liken the conditional existence of the living entity to that of a dog is very appropriate. An intelligent human being, however, can understand that if he has to live the life of a dog, he had best become Kṛṣṇa's dog. In the material world a dog is sometimes elevated and is sometimes on the street, but in the spiritual world, Kṛṣṇa's dog is perpetually, eternally happy. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has therefore sung: vaiṣṇava ṭhākura tomāra kukura baliyā jānaha more. In this way Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura offers to become a Vaiṣṇava's dog. A dog always keeps himself at his master's door and does not allow any person unfavorable to the master to enter. Similarly, one should engage in the service of a Vaiṣṇava and try to please him in every respect. Unless one does so, he does not make spiritual advancement. Apart from spiritual advancement, in the material world if one does not develop his qualities in goodness, he cannot be promoted to the higher planetary system. As confirmed by Bhagavad-gītā (14.18):</p>
:ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā
:madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ
:jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā
:adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ
<p>"Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets; and those in the mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds."</p>
<p>There are many varieties of life in the different planetary systems, and these come about due to the living entity's developing his qualities in goodness, passion and ignorance. If one is in goodness, he is promoted to the higher systems; if in passion, he remains in the middle systems; and if in ignorance, he is pushed down to the lower species of life.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

Arjuna is fighting, and another soldier is fighting the other side. But Arjuna's activities as soldier is devotional service, because he's trying to please Krsna

2025-07-15T07:41:04Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Arjuna is fighting, and another soldier is fighting the other side. But Arjuna's activities as soldier is devotional service, because he's trying to please Kṛṣṇa"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Nabakumar}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2022-09-07T08:37:32Z}}
{{last|2022-09-07T08:37:32Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=1|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Arjuna's Fighting]]
[[Category:Another]]
[[Category:Arjuna As a Soldier]]
[[Category:Other Side]]
[[Category:Activities of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Devotional Service to God]]
[[Category:Devotional Service to Krsna]]
[[Category:Because]]
[[Category:Trying of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Pleasing Krsna]]
[[Category:Pleasing God]]
[[Category:Krsna and Arjuna]]
[[Category:God and Arjuna]]
[[Category:Pages Needing Audio - NABAKUMAR]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Lectures</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>Nectar of Devotion Lectures</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
So they are simply engaged in Kṛṣṇa activities, although it looks similar to the ordinary activities. Therefore they misunderstand. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna is fighting, and another soldier is fighting the other side. But Arjuna's activities as soldier is devotional service, because he's trying to please Kṛṣṇa. Other side, they're fighting for their own interest, how to become victorious and take up the kingdom. That was their idea.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:721029 - Lecture NOD - Vrndavana|721029 - Lecture NOD - Vrndavana]]
</div>
<div class="text">
Pradyumna: "Then there is the spiritual world, which is a manifestation of the internal energy. The living entities who are called marginal energies . . . energy, perform material activities when acting under the inferior, external energy. And when they engage in activities under the internal, spiritual energy, their activities are called Kṛṣṇa conscious. This means that those who are great souls, or great devotees, do not act under the spell of material energy, but act instead under the protection of the spiritual energy."

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 9.13 (1972)|BG 9.13]]). They do not act under the influence . . . ordinary persons, they see that, "Devotees are acting like us." No. Their activities are under the influence of spiritual energy. It, it, it looks similar like the karmīs, jñānīs, but bhaktas are different from karmīs and jñānīs. Jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 19.167|CC Madhya 19.167]]). They are not influenced by the tenets of jñāna and karma. They are influenced by activities which can satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam. Anuśīlanam activities, culture. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam.

So they are simply engaged in Kṛṣṇa activities, although it looks similar to the ordinary activities. Therefore they misunderstand. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna is fighting, and another soldier is fighting the other side. But Arjuna's activities as soldier is devotional service, because he's trying to please Kṛṣṇa. Other side, they're fighting for their own interest, how to become victorious and take up the kingdom. That was their idea.

Here, Arjuna, he did not like to fight, but when he understood that, "Kṛṣṇa desires this fighting," he engaged in it. Therefore his fighting was to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, not to satisfy his senses. As it is explained in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, to satisfy one's own senses, that is called kāma, and to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa, that is called prema. That is the difference.
</div>
</div>
</div>

Akrura continued, "If you (Dhrtarastra) do so (to rule the kingdom on moral and ethical principles) and try to please your subjects in that way, your name and fame will be perpetual"

2025-07-15T07:37:17Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"If you do so and try to please your subjects in that way, your name and fame will be perpetual"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|HanumanIC}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2017-04-04T13:41:48Z}}
{{last|2017-04-04T13:41:48Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=1|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Akrura]]
[[Category:Continue]]
[[Category:Dhrtarastra]]
[[Category:Doing]]
[[Category:Ruling]]
[[Category:Kingdom]]
[[Category:Moral Principles]]
[[Category:Ethical Principles]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Subject]]
[[Category:Way]]
[[Category:Name and Fame]]
[[Category:Will Be]]
[[Category:Perpetual]]
[[Category:Krsna Book Chapter 49 - I'll-motivated Dhrtarastra]]
[[Category:Krsna Book Chapters 01 to 90]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Other Books by Srila Prabhupada</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
If you do so and try to please your subjects in that way, your name and fame will be perpetual.” Akrūra hinted that although Dhṛtarāṣṭra was ill-treating his nephews, the Pāṇḍavas, they happened to be his subjects. “Even if you treat them not as the owners of the throne but as your subjects, you should impartially think of their welfare as though they were your own sons. But if you do not follow this principle and act in just the opposite way, you will be unpopular among your subjects, and in the next life you will have to live in a hellish condition.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:KB 49|Krsna Book, 49]]
</div>
<div class="text">
Although Kṛṣṇa was not present before her, Kuntī offered her prayers to Him as if she were in His presence face to face. This is possible for anyone following in the footsteps of Kuntī. Kṛṣṇa does not have to be physically present everywhere. He is actually present everywhere by spiritual potency, and one simply has to surrender unto Him sincerely.

When Kuntī was offering her prayers very feelingly to Kṛṣṇa, she could not check herself and began to cry loudly before Akrūra. Vidura was also present, and both Akrūra and Vidura became very sympathetic to the mother of the Pāṇḍavas and began to solace her by glorifying her five sons, namely Yudhiṣṭhira, Arjuna, Bhīma, Nakula and Sahadeva. They pacified her, saying that her sons were extraordinarily powerful; she should not be perturbed about them, since they were born of great demigods like Yamarāja, Indra and Vāyu.

Akrūra decided to return home and report on the strained circumstances in which he found Kuntī and her five sons. He first wanted to give good advice to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, who was so favorably inclined toward his own sons and unfavorably inclined toward the Pāṇḍavas. When King Dhṛtarāṣṭra was sitting among friends and relatives, Akrūra began to address him, calling him Vaicitravīrya. Vaicitravīrya means “the son of Vicitravīrya.” Vicitravīrya was the name of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s father, but Dhṛtarāṣṭra was actually the begotten son not of Vicitravīrya but of Vyāsadeva. Formerly it was the system that if a man were unable to beget a child, his brother could beget a child in the womb of his wife (devareṇa sutotpattiḥ). That system is now forbidden in this Age of Kali. Akrūra called Dhṛtarāṣṭra Vaicitravīrya sarcastically because he was not actually begotten by his father. He was the son of Vyāsadeva. When a child was begotten in the wife by the husband’s brother, the child was claimed by the husband, but of course the child was not begotten by the husband. This sarcastic remark pointed out that Dhṛtarāṣṭra was falsely claiming the throne on hereditary grounds. Actually Pāṇḍu had been the rightful king, and in the presence of Pāṇḍu’s sons, the Pāṇḍavas, Dhṛtarāṣṭra should not have occupied the throne.

Akrūra said, “My dear son of Vicitravīrya, you have unlawfully usurped the throne of the Pāṇḍavas. Anyway, somehow or other you are now on the throne. Therefore I beg to advise you to please rule the kingdom on moral and ethical principles. If you do so and try to please your subjects in that way, your name and fame will be perpetual.” Akrūra hinted that although Dhṛtarāṣṭra was ill-treating his nephews, the Pāṇḍavas, they happened to be his subjects. “Even if you treat them not as the owners of the throne but as your subjects, you should impartially think of their welfare as though they were your own sons. But if you do not follow this principle and act in just the opposite way, you will be unpopular among your subjects, and in the next life you will have to live in a hellish condition. I therefore hope you will treat your sons and the sons of Pāṇḍu equally.” Akrūra hinted that if Dhṛtarāṣṭra did not treat the Pāṇḍavas and his sons as equals, surely there would be a fight between the two camps of cousins. Since the cause of the Pāṇḍavas was just, they would come out victorious, and the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra would be killed. This was a prophecy told by Akrūra to Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

Akrūra further advised Dhṛtarāṣṭra, “In this material world, no one can remain an eternal companion to another. Only by chance do we assemble together in a family, society, community or nation, but at the end, because every one of us has to give up the body, we must be separated. One should not, therefore, be unnecessarily affectionate toward family members.” Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s affection was also unlawful and did not show much intelligence. In plain words, Akrūra hinted to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that his staunch family affection was due to his gross ignorance of fact or his blindness to moral principles. Although we appear combined together in a family, society or nation, each of us has an individual destiny. Everyone takes birth according to individual past work; therefore everyone must individually enjoy or suffer the result of his own karma. There is no possibility of improving one’s destiny by cooperative living. Sometimes it happens that one’s father accumulates wealth by illegal ways, and the son takes away the money, although it is hard-earned by the father, just as a small fish in the ocean eats the material body of a large, old fish. One ultimately cannot accumulate wealth illegally for the gratification of his family, society, community or nation. An illustration of this principle is that many great empires which developed in the past are no longer existing because their wealth was squandered away by later descendants. One who does not know this subtle law of fruitive activities and who thus gives up the moral and ethical principles carries with him only the reactions of his sinful activities. His ill-gotten wealth and possessions are taken by someone else, and he goes to the darkest region of hellish life. One should not, therefore, accumulate more wealth than allotted to him by destiny; otherwise he will be factually blind to his own interest. Instead of fulfilling his self-interest, he will act in just the opposite way for his own downfall.
</div>
</div>
</div>

According to the time and circumstances, He (Krsna) spoke as follows, "You are the subject of the King of the Bhojas, and you live in the jungle. We are also indirectly his subjects, and We try to please him as far as possible"

2025-07-15T07:24:15Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"But according to the time and circumstances, He spoke as follows: “You are the subject of the King of the Bhojas, and you live in the jungle. We are also indirectly his subjects, and We try to please him as far as possible"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|HanumanIC}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2017-04-17T05:07:29Z}}
{{last|2017-04-17T05:07:29Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=1|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:According]]
[[Category:Krsna's Time]]
[[Category:God's Time]]
[[Category:Krsna's Place]]
[[Category:God's Place]]
[[Category:Krsna's Circumstances]]
[[Category:Time, Place and Circumstances]]
[[Category:Krsna's Speaking]]
[[Category:God's Speaking]]
[[Category:As Follows]]
[[Category:You Are]]
[[Category:Subject]]
[[Category:Bhoja Dynasty]]
[[Category:Living]]
[[Category:Jungle]]
[[Category:We Are]]
[[Category:Indirectly]]
[[Category:Subjecting Krsna]]
[[Category:Trying to Please]]
[[Category:Krsna's Trying]]
[[Category:God's Trying]]
[[Category:Krsna's Pleasing]]
[[Category:God's Pleasing]]
[[Category:As Far As]]
[[Category:Possible]]
[[Category:Krsna and Kings]]
[[Category:Krsna Book Chapter 43 - The Killing of the Elephant Kuvalayapida]]
[[Category:Krsna Book Chapters 01 to 90]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Other Books by Srila Prabhupada</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
But according to the time and circumstances, He spoke as follows: “You are the subject of the King of the Bhojas, and you live in the jungle. We are also indirectly his subjects, and We try to please him as far as possible. This offer of wrestling is a great favor of his, but the fact is that We are simply boys. We sometimes play in the forest of Vṛndāvana with Our friends who are Our own age.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:KB 43|Krsna Book, 43]]
</div>
<div class="text">
The citizens of Mathurā began to recite Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes—His birth as the son of Vasudeva, His being taken into the care of Nanda Mahārāja and his wife in Gokula, and all those events leading to His coming to Mathurā to favor them. They spoke of the killing of the demon Pūtanā, as well as the killing of Tṛṇāvarta, who came as a whirlwind. They also recalled the deliverance of the twin brothers from within the yamala-arjuna trees. The citizens of Mathurā spoke among themselves: “Śaṅkhacūḍa, Keśī, Dhenukāsura and many other demons were killed by Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṇa also saved all the cowherd men of Vṛndāvana from a devastating fire. He chastised the Kāliya snake in the water of the Yamunā, and He curbed the false pride of the heavenly king, Indra. Kṛṣṇa held up the great Govardhana Hill in one hand for seven continuous days and saved all the people of Gokula from incessant rain, hurricane and hailstorm.” They also began to remember other enlivening activities: “The damsels of Vṛndāvana were so much pleased by seeing Kṛṣṇa’s beauty and participating in His activities that they forgot the troubles of material existence. By seeing Kṛṣṇa and thinking of Him, they forgot all sorts of fatigue.” The Mathurā citizens discussed the dynasty of Yadu, saying that because of Kṛṣṇa’s appearance in this dynasty the Yadus would remain the most celebrated family in the whole universe. The citizens of Mathurā then began to talk about Balarāma. They spoke of His very beautiful lotus-petal eyes, and they remarked of Him, “This boy has killed the Pralamba demon and many others also.” While they were thus talking about the activities of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, they heard the vibrations of different bands announcing the wrestling match.

The famous wrestler Cāṇūra then began to talk with Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. “My dear Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma,” he said, “we have heard about Your past activities. You are great heroes, and therefore the King has called You. We have heard that Your arms are very strong. The King and all the people present here desire to see a display of Your wrestling abilities. A citizen should be obedient and please the mind of the ruling king; acting in that way, the citizen attains all kinds of good fortune. One who does not care to act obediently is made unhappy because of the king’s anger. You are cowherd boys, and we have heard that while tending Your cows in the forest, You enjoy wrestling with each other. We wish, therefore, for You to join with us in wrestling so that all the people present here, including the King, will be pleased.”

Kṛṣṇa immediately understood the purpose of Cāṇūra’s statements, and He prepared to wrestle with him. But according to the time and circumstances, He spoke as follows: “You are the subject of the King of the Bhojas, and you live in the jungle. We are also indirectly his subjects, and We try to please him as far as possible. This offer of wrestling is a great favor of his, but the fact is that We are simply boys. We sometimes play in the forest of Vṛndāvana with Our friends who are Our own age. We think that to combat persons of equal age and strength is good for Us, but to fight great wrestlers like you would not be good for the audience. It would contradict their religious principles.” Kṛṣṇa thus indicated that the celebrated, strong wrestlers should not challenge Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma to fight.

In reply to this, Cāṇūra said, “My dear Kṛṣṇa, we can understand very well that You are neither a child nor a young man. You are transcendental to everyone, as is Your big brother, Balarāma. You have already killed the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa, who was capable of fighting thousands of other elephants. You have killed him in a wonderful way. Because of Your strength, it behooves You to compete with the strongest wrestlers amongst us. I therefore wish to wrestle with You, and Your elder brother, Balarāma, will wrestle with Muṣṭika.”
</div>
</div>
</div>

You write that you have desire to avail of my association again, but why do you forget that you are always in association with me?

2025-07-15T06:57:26Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"You write that you have desire to avail of my association again, but why do you forget that you are always in association with me?"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Visnu Murti}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|06Jul14}}
{{last|06Jul14}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=1}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Our Writing (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:We Have (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Our Desires (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Available]]
[[Category:My Association (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Again]]
[[Category:Why Are We (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Our Forgetfulness (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:We Are (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Always]]
[[Category:Association]]
[[Category:With Me (Prabhupada)]]
</div>
<div id="Correspondence" class="section" sec_index="6" parent="compilation" text="Correspondence"><h2>Correspondence</h2>
</div>
<div id="1969_Correspondence" class="sub_section" sec_index="4" parent="Correspondence" text="1969 Correspondence"><h3>1969 Correspondence</h3>
</div>
<div id="LettertoGovindaLosAngeles17August1969_0" class="quote" parent="1969_Correspondence" book="Let" index="521" link="Letter to Govinda -- Los Angeles 17 August, 1969" link_text="Letter to Govinda -- Los Angeles 17 August, 1969">
<div class="heading">Your description of that Yogi Sai, that is also little hopeful. He is reading Bhagavad-gita and quoting some lines. So you are very intelligent; you can tackle these people very nicely, assisted by your good husband and the other boys and girls. You write that you have desire to avail of my association again, but why do you forget that you are always in association with me? When you are helping my missionary activities I am always thinking of you and you are always thinking of me. That is real association.
</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Letter to Govinda -- Los Angeles 17 August, 1969|Letter to Govinda -- Los Angeles 17 August, 1969]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">My Dear Govinda Dasi,</p>
<p>Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated August 9th, 1969. In the meantime I have sent one tape to Gaurasundara. Perhaps you might have received it, and if it is all right, then I can send you many other tapes, similarly stereoed. From the description of your letter I understand that Hawaii is good field for our preaching work. The hippies are actually immediate candidates for our Krishna Consciousness. We pray to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, "My dear Lord, Your Incarnation is to claim the most fallen souls." So in this age of Kali almost everyone is dangerously fallen, and the hippies appear to be still more greater fallen. Besides that, from their behavior it appears they like this movement. This is a very good sign. Your description of that Yogi Sai, that is also little hopeful. He is reading Bhagavad-gita and quoting some lines. So you are very intelligent; you can tackle these people very nicely, assisted by your good husband and the other boys and girls. You write that you have desire to avail of my association again, but why do you forget that you are always in association with me? When you are helping my missionary activities I am always thinking of you and you are always thinking of me. That is real association. Just like I always think of my Guru Maharaja every moment, although He is not physically present, and because I am trying to serve Him to my best capacity, I am sure He is helping me by His spiritual blessings. So there are two kinds of association: physical and preceptorial. Physical association is not so important as preceptorial association. So try to preach this Krishna Consciousness Movement amongst the hippies there, and simply induce them to chant Hare Krishna. If they kindly join in chanting Hare Krishna, that will make our movement successful. Then gradually make them more and more advanced by participating in Love Feasts and ceremonies, like Janmastami and Rathayatra. Then everything will go smoothly. The only thing wanted is that we should work very sincerely, with full faith in Krishna and the Spiritual Master. Then all help will come automatically.</p>
<p>Regarding mango recipe directions, it may be done as follows: first of all collect the juice, then boil it on fire until it is a thick pulp. And while boiling, add a little salt also. That will act as a preservative; but don't make it salty. Then spread the boiled pulp in thin layers on dishes or suitable pots and dry it in the sunshine. I think it will come out successful. Regarding Sadhana Ausadhalaya, you can write to him c/o Kaviraja Rajani Candra Shastri, 227 Mahatma Gandhi Road, Calcutta-7. Let him know the symptoms of your ailment, and ask him to send some good medicines. But the difficulty will be for the vehicles. In the Ayurvedic medicine there are vehicles which are very difficult to obtain in this country. So you should advise them to send medicine and suitable vehicles which can't be obtained in this country. But if the medicine is only mixed with honey, as they usually do, then there is no difficulty. You can refer my name also to this physician. Then he will be more careful.</p>
<p>Regarding Holy Days, I am very glad that you performed Guru Purnima, and you offered puffed up kacoris. You must have enjoyed Prasadam very nicely, but you forgot the statement bracketed on that list, "special honoring of the Spiritual Master," and that you had to send some contribution to the book fund. Never mind, you can do it again on the 5th September and rectify the mistake. I hope it will not be a very difficult job. Regarding celebrations of other holidays, they will be described as to how they should be celebrated in future memos to all of the temples. I think by now you must have received instructions how to celebrate Jhulana yatra festival. As you have suggested, I shall inform Tamala Krishna and Brahmananda that you are in need of some issues of BTG #22, containing the first part of Isopanisad.</p>
<p>Please offer my blessings to Gaurasundara, Balabhadra, Turya dasa, Jayasri, and the others. I hope this will meet you all in good health.</p>
<p>Your ever well-wisher,</p>
<p>A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami</p>
<p>P.S. Are you getting some inquiries for the books after the review published?</p>
<p>P.S. If you take green bananas, peel them and put them out in the sun to dry for one, two, three days—till it is dry—then these may be sent to me, especially when I go to Europe. This is a very good tonic for liver, and I am now having these unripened bananas daily in Los Angeles.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

My father used to observe all the ceremonies befitting my position. Later on, these activities were suspended due to my association in the schools and colleges, and I became completely out of practice

2025-07-15T06:54:28Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"My father used to observe all the ceremonies befitting my position. Later on, these activities were suspended due to my association in the schools and colleges, and I became completely out of practice"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Iswaraj}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2020-04-13T13:59:11Z}}
{{last|2020-04-13T13:59:11Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=1|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - His Life]]
[[Category:My Father (Gour Mohan De)]]
[[Category:Used To (Past Tense)]]
[[Category:Observe]]
[[Category:All These]]
[[Category:Ceremony]]
[[Category:Befitting]]
[[Category:My Position (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Later On]]
[[Category:Activities]]
[[Category:Suspended]]
[[Category:Due To]]
[[Category:My Association (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:School]]
[[Category:Colleges]]
[[Category:Becoming]]
[[Category:Completely]]
[[Category:Out Of]]
[[Category:Practice]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 01 Chapter 12 Purports - Birth of Emperor Pariksit]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 01 Purports]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>SB Canto 1</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
My father used to observe all the ceremonies befitting my position. Later on, these activities were suspended due to my association in the schools and colleges, and I became completely out of practice.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:SB 1.12.30|SB 1.12.30, Translation and Purport]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
So his son would become famous in the world as Parīkṣit [examiner] because he would come to examine all human beings in his search after that personality whom he saw before his birth. Thus he would come to constantly contemplate Him.
</div>
<div class="text">
<div class="purport">

Mahārāja Parīkṣit, fortunate as he was, got the impression of the Lord even in the womb of his mother, and thus his contemplation on the Lord was constantly with him. Once the impression of the transcendental form of the Lord is fixed in one's mind, one can never forget Him in any circumstance. Child Parīkṣit, after coming out of the womb, was in the habit of examining everyone to see whether he was the same personality whom he first saw in the womb. But no one could be equal to or more attractive than the Lord, and therefore he never accepted anyone. But the Lord was constantly with him by such examination, and thus Mahārāja Parīkṣit was always engaged in the devotional service of the Lord by remembrance.

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī remarks in this connection that every child, if given an impression of the Lord from his very childhood, certainly becomes a great devotee of the Lord like Mahārāja Parīkṣit. One may not be as fortunate as Mahārāja Parīkṣit to have the opportunity to see the Lord in the womb of his mother, but even if he is not so fortunate, he can be made so if the parents of the child desire him to be so. There is a practical example in my personal life in this connection. My father was a pure devotee of the Lord, and when I was only four or five years old, my father gave me a couple of forms of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. In a playful manner, I used to worship these Deities along with my sister, and I used to imitate the performances of a neighboring temple of Rādhā-Govinda. By constantly visiting this neighboring temple and copying the ceremonies in connection with my own Deities of play, I developed a natural affinity for the Lord. My father used to observe all the ceremonies befitting my position. Later on, these activities were suspended due to my association in the schools and colleges, and I became completely out of practice. But in my youthful days, when I met my spiritual master, Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, again I revived my old habit, and the same playful Deities became my worshipful Deities in proper regulation. This was followed up until I left the family connection, and I am pleased that my generous father gave the first impression which was developed later into regulative devotional service by His Divine Grace. Mahārāja Prahlāda also advised that such impressions of a godly relation must be impregnated from the beginning of childhood, otherwise one may miss the opportunity of the human form of life, which is very valuable although it is temporary like others.

</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

Just follow his order. Spiritual master is along with you by his words. Just like my spiritual master is not physically present, but I am associating with him by his words

2025-07-15T06:47:42Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Just follow his order. Spiritual master is along with you by his words. Just like my spiritual master is not physically present, but I am associating with him by his words"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Visnu Murti}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|16Nov10}}
{{last|16Nov10}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=1|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Just]]
[[Category:Our Following Srila Prabhupada's Instructions (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Orders of Our Spiritual Master (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:I Am Your Spiritual Master (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Along With]]
[[Category:With Us (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:My Words (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Just Like]]
[[Category:My Spiritual Master (Bhaktisiddhanta)]]
[[Category:Is Not]]
[[Category:Not Physically Present]]
[[Category:Physical Presence of a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:I Am (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:My Association (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Associating]]
[[Category:Prabhupada and His Disciples]]
[[Category:Prabhupada and Bhaktisiddhanta]]
[[Category:Orders of My Spiritual Master (Bhaktisiddhanta)]]
[[Category:Words of a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, 1966 - 1977]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, 1971]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, Srimad-Bhagavatam]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - in Europe, England - London]]
</div>
<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
</div>
<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="1" parent="Lectures" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures"><h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3>
</div>
<div id="LectureonSB112LondonAugust181971_0" class="quote" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" book="Lec" index="9" link="Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 18, 1971" link_text="Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 18, 1971">
<div class="heading">Just follow his order. Spiritual master is along with you by his words. Just like my spiritual master is not physically present, but I am associating with him by his words.
</div>

<mp3player>https://vanipedia.s3.amazonaws.com/clip/720707SB-LONDON_clip2.mp3</mp3player>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 18, 1971|Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 18, 1971]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">
Revatī-nandana: Sometimes this question comes up, with the devotees especially, that it says the devotee makes advancement when the spiritual master is pleased. Right?

So sometimes the spiritual master is far, far away. He may be in Los Angeles. Somebody is coming to Hamburg temple. He thinks, "How will the spiritual master be pleased?"

Prabhupāda: Just follow his order. Spiritual master is along with you by his words. Just like my spiritual master is not physically present, but I am associating with him by his words.

Revatīnandana: And Kṛṣṇa knows that; therefore we make advancement. He is sitting in our heart. He knows what we're doing. So He sees, "He's serving My pure devotee," immediately there is advancement.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Spiritual master . . . Kṛṣṇa is not limited. It is not material. You can associate with Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master in any circumstance, provided you want to. Just like we can associate with Kṛṣṇa immediately if we take ''Bhagavad-gītā'' as it is.

He is not different from ''Bhagavad-gītā. Nāma-rūpe kali-kāle kṛṣṇa-avatāra'' ([[Vanisource:CC Adi 17.22|CC Adi 17.22]]). Kṛṣṇa is incarnated in His name in this age. You associate with Kṛṣṇa's name, immediately associate with Kṛṣṇa.

Dhanañjaya: And his devotees.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Dhanañjaya: And his devotees.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

I thank you very much for your appreciation of my association. This association is disciplic and as such all thanks are due to Lord Krishna Who infuses His powers through the bona fide disciplic succession

2025-07-15T06:44:11Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"I thank you very much for your appreciation of my association. This association is disciplic and as such all thanks are due to Lord Krishna Who infuses His powers through the bona fide disciplic succession"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Labangalatika}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|13Jul12}}
{{last|13Jul12}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=1}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:I Thank You (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Very Much]]
[[Category:Our (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Our Appreciation (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Appreciating a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:My Association (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Our Association (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:This Is]]
[[Category:Disciple]]
[[Category:As Such]]
[[Category:Thankful to Krsna]]
[[Category:Due To]]
[[Category:God's Infusing]]
[[Category:Krsna's Power]]
[[Category:God's Power]]
[[Category:Through The...]]
[[Category:Bona Fide]]
[[Category:Disciplic Succession]]
</div>
<div id="Correspondence" class="section" sec_index="6" parent="compilation" text="Correspondence"><h2>Correspondence</h2>
</div>
<div id="1967_Correspondence" class="sub_section" sec_index="2" parent="Correspondence" text="1967 Correspondence"><h3>1967 Correspondence</h3>
</div>
<div id="LettertoBrahmanandaSanFrancisco14March1967_0" class="quote" parent="1967_Correspondence" book="Let" index="42" link="Letter to Brahmananda -- San Francisco 14 March, 1967" link_text="Letter to Brahmananda -- San Francisco 14 March, 1967">
<div class="heading">I am very glad to note that you can know the foolishness of the modern society in spiritual understanding and I thank you very much for your appreciation of my association. This association is disciplic and as such all thanks are due to Lord Krishna Who infuses His powers through the bona fide disciplic succession.
</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Letter to Brahmananda -- San Francisco 14 March, 1967|Letter to Brahmananda -- San Francisco 14 March, 1967]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Please accept my thanks and blessings of Lord Krishna for your letter of the 12th instant describing your meeting with a Maya the illusory energy and combating her by Krishna consciousness. In future if any one challenges our philosophy one may put his questions in writing and must be prepared to receive the answers from human understanding. We cannot talk with any one who is not within the purview of human understanding. You are completely right when you refuse to debate and accept invitation for chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Although we should not chant in a society which is disruptive but as soon as one invites us for chanting we take it for granted that they are friendly and we must take the opportunity.</p>
<p>A female is never awarded the order of Sannyasam. Because a female is never considered independent and Sannyasam was never awarded to any female in the past by the great Acaryas like Sankara, Ramanuja etc. The female Sannyasins are to be immediately understood as pretenders or prostitutes. In India they have organized so many organizations where specially young females are maintained to attract rich women-hunters who pretend to pose as righteous in the society. This is the age of Kali which plunders away spiritual sense of the human being and it is only the Divine Grace of Lord Caitanya Who can protect us from all these dangerous pitfalls. You were not agitated by unfavorable criticism and yet you chanted Hare Krishna Mahamantra that is the way of chanting Hare Krishna. I thank you very much for this forbearance. I am very glad to note that you can know the foolishness of the modern society in spiritual understanding and I thank you very much for your appreciation of my association. This association is disciplic and as such all thanks are due to Lord Krishna Who infuses His powers through the bona fide disciplic succession.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

Those who are little above bodily concept of life, they find pleasure in mind. And farther, they find pleasure in intellectualism. Those who are meat-eaters, they are very dull. They cannot understand. For them the subject matter is very, very difficult

2025-07-15T06:25:59Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Those who are little above the bodily concept of life, they find pleasure in the mind. And farther, they find pleasure in intellectualism." "those who are meat-eaters, they are very dull. They cannot understand. For them the subject matter is very, very difficult"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|SharmisthaK}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2024-03-30T12:57:29.000Z}}
{{last|2024-03-30T12:57:29.000Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=1|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Those Who Are]]
[[Category:Little]]
[[Category:Above]]
[[Category:Bodily Concept of Life]]
[[Category:Find]]
[[Category:Pleasure]]
[[Category:In the Mind]]
[[Category:Further]]
[[Category:Intellectual]]
[[Category:Meat-eating]]
[[Category:They Are]]
[[Category:Very]]
[[Category:Dull]]
[[Category:Cannot Understand]]
[[Category:Very Difficult Subject Matter]]
[[Category:Pages Needing Audio - SHARMISTHA]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Lectures</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
Those who are little above the bodily concept of life, they find pleasure in the mind. And farther, they find pleasure in intellectualism. And in this way the thing is very complicated. It requires very cool brain to understand all these things. But those who are meat-eaters, they are very dull. They cannot understand. For them the subject matter is very, very difficult.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:760528 - Lecture SB 06.01.28-29 - Honolulu|760528 - Lecture SB 06.01.28-29 - Honolulu]]
</div>
<div class="text">
So we have to go to the platform of soul. That is spiritual education. But there are so many other stages. Somebody's stopping in the mind. He's thinking that this is the final. Philosophy, poetry, imagination, the mind, mental . . . (indistinct) . . . as we see that mostly they, your Western philosophers, they are stuck up on the platform of mind. That's all. They're thinking this is the final. So far I've studied only Socrates, he has reached up to the point of soul. Otherwise, all Western philosophers, they're on the mental platform. So anyway, we have to go farther, farther. So the dreaming is the function of the subtle body, namely mind, intelligence and false ego. You're not free, the subtle body. So those who have no knowledge how material things are acting, covering the soul, they utmost they can think of the mind, the activities of the mind—thinking, feeling, willing, psychology, or writing some books, some mental speculation philosophy. They think this is final. That is not final. You have to go farther, to the intellectual platform, then egoism, then soul. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā:

<div class="quote_verse">
:indriyāni parāṇy āhur
:indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ
:manasas tu parā buddhir
:buddhes tu ya para saḥ
:([[Vanisource:BG 3.42 (1972)|BG 3.42]])
</div>

Kṛṣṇa is giving all intelligence. That through gross understanding, this indriya, the senses.

So those who are in the lowest stage of knowledge, they are in the bodily concept of life—the indriya, the senses. Just like cats and dogs, they cannot think more than that. So, but Kṛṣṇa advises, "No, don't stop here." Indriyāṇi parāny āhur ([[Vanisource:BG 3.42 (1972)|BG 3.42]]). Bodily concept of life, sense pleasure, they think it is all; there is no more other. Those who are little above the bodily concept of life, they find pleasure in the mind. And farther, they find pleasure in intellectualism. And in this way the thing is very complicated. It requires very cool brain to understand all these things. But those who are meat-eaters, they are very dull. They cannot understand. For them the subject matter is very, very difficult.
</div>
</div>
</div>

Those who are dull-minded cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but when punished severely by the modes of material nature, they begin to understand Him

2025-07-15T06:21:30Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"those who are dull-minded cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but when punished severely by the modes of material nature, they begin to understand Him"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Labangalatika}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|10Apr12}}
{{last|10Apr12}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=1|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Those Who Are]]
[[Category:Dull Mind]]
[[Category:Cannot Understand]]
[[Category:Not Understanding God]]
[[Category:Supreme Personality of Godhead]]
[[Category:When]]
[[Category:But Still]]
[[Category:Punishment]]
[[Category:Severe]]
[[Category:Modes of Material Nature]]
[[Category:Beginning]]
[[Category:Understanding God]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 09 Chapter 10 Purports - The Pastimes of the Supreme Lord, Ramacandra]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 09 Purports]]
</div>
<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam" class="section" sec_index="1" parent="compilation" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam"><h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
</div>
<div id="SB_Canto_9" class="sub_section" sec_index="9" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam" text="SB Canto 9"><h3>SB Canto 9</h3>
</div>
<div id="SB91014_0" class="quote" parent="SB_Canto_9" book="SB" index="360" link="SB 9.10.14" link_text="SB 9.10.14">
<div class="heading">Without being beaten, an animal cannot understand the purpose of a man. Similarly, those who are dull-minded cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but when punished severely by the modes of material nature, they begin to understand Him.
</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:SB 9.10.14|SB 9.10.14, Translation and Purport]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="trans text"><p style="display: inline;">O all-pervading Supreme Person, we are dull-minded and did not understand who You are, but now we understand that You are the Supreme Person, the master of the entire universe, the unchanging and original Personality of Godhead. The demigods are infatuated with the mode of goodness, the Prajāpatis with the mode of passion, and the lord of ghosts with the mode of ignorance, but You are the master of all these qualities.</p>
</div>
<div class="purport text"><p>The word jaḍa-dhiyaḥ refers to intelligence like that of an animal. A person with such intelligence cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Without being beaten, an animal cannot understand the purpose of a man. Similarly, those who are dull-minded cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but when punished severely by the modes of material nature, they begin to understand Him. A Hindi poet has said:</p>
:duḥkha se saba hari bhaje
:sukha se bhaje koī
:sukha se agar hari bhaje
:duḥkha kāthāṅ se haya
<p>When one is distressed he goes to the church or temple to worship the Lord, but when opulent he forgets the Lord. Therefore, punishment by the Lord through material nature is necessary in human society, for without it men forget the supremacy of the Lord due to their dull, blunt intelligence.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he (the soul) is even higher than the intelligence. BG 3.42 - 1972

2025-07-15T06:16:54Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he" "is even higher than the intelligence"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Anurag}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2018-12-19T10:01:56Z}}
{{last|2018-12-19T10:01:56Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=1|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Working Senses]]
[[Category:Superior]]
[[Category:Dull Matter]]
[[Category:Mind]]
[[Category:Higher Than]]
[[Category:Senses]]
[[Category:Intelligence]]
[[Category:Still]]
[[Category:Souls]]
[[Category:Intelligence, Mind and Senses]]
[[Category:Bhagavad-gita As It Is - 1972 Translations, Chapter 03 - Vaniquotes]]
[[Category:Bhagavad-gita As It Is - 1972 Translations, Chapter 03 - Vaniquotes by Verse Order|v42]]
[[Category:Bhagavad-gita As It Is - 1972 Translations, Chapters 01 to 18 - Vaniquotes]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Bhagavad-gita As it is</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>BG Chapters 1 - 6</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:BG 3.42 (1972)|BG 3.42 (1972), Translation and Purport]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence.
</div>
<div class="text">
The senses are different outlets for the activities of lust. Lust is reserved within the body, but it is given vent through the senses. Therefore, the senses are superior to the body as a whole. These outlets are not in use when there is superior consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In Kṛṣṇa consciousness the soul makes direct connection with the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore the bodily functions, as described here, ultimately end in the Supreme Soul. Bodily action means the functions of the senses, and stopping the senses means stopping all bodily actions. But since the mind is active, then, even though the body may be silent and at rest, the mind will act-as it does during dreaming. But, above the mind there is the determination of the intelligence, and above the intelligence is the soul proper. If, therefore, the soul is directly engaged with the Supreme, naturally all other subordinates, namely, the intelligence, mind and the senses, will be automatically engaged. In the Kaṭha Upaniṣad there is a passage in which it is said that the objects of sense gratification are superior to the senses, and mind is superior to the sense objects. If, therefore, the mind is directly engaged in the service of the Lord constantly, then there is no chance of the senses becoming engaged in other ways. This mental attitude has already been explained. If the mind is engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord, there is no chance of its being engaged in the lower propensities. In the Kaṭha Upaniṣad the soul has been described as mahān, the great. Therefore the soul is above all-namely, the sense objects, the senses, the mind and the intelligence. Therefore, directly understanding the constitutional position of the soul is the solution of the whole problem.

With intelligence one has to seek out the constitutional position of the soul and then engage the mind always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That solves the whole problem. A neophyte spiritualist is generally advised to keep aloof from the objects of senses. One has to strengthen the mind by use of intelligence. If by intelligence one engages one's mind in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by complete surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then, automatically, the mind becomes stronger, and even though the senses are very strong, like serpents, they will be no more effective than serpents with broken fangs. But even though the soul is the master of intelligence and mind, and the senses also, still, unless it is strengthened by association with Kṛṣṇa in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is every chance of falling down due to the agitated mind.
</div>
</div>
</div>

Persons whose minds are dull cannot understand this defect of a materialistic civilization aiming at material comforts

2025-07-15T06:06:41Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Persons whose minds are dull cannot understand this defect of a materialistic civilization aiming at material comforts"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|SharmisthaK}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2020-11-07T06:23:09Z}}
{{last|2020-11-07T06:23:09Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=1|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Persons]]
[[Category:Whose]]
[[Category:Dull Mind]]
[[Category:Cannot Understand]]
[[Category:Defect]]
[[Category:Materialistic]]
[[Category:Material Civilization]]
[[Category:Aim]]
[[Category:Material Comforts]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 05 Chapter 24 Purports - The Subterranean Heavenly Planets]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 05 Purports]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>SB Canto 5</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
Persons whose minds are dull cannot understand this defect of a materialistic civilization aiming at material comforts. One may make his living conditions very pleasing for the senses, but despite all favorable conditions, one must in due course of time meet death.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:SB 5.24.8|SB 5.24.8, Translation and Purport]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
They live very auspiciously and do not fear death from anything but death's established time, which is the effulgence of the Sudarśana cakra of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
</div>
<div class="text">
This is the defect of material existence. Everything in the subterranean heavens is very nicely arranged. There are well situated residential quarters, there is a pleasing atmosphere, and there are no bodily inconveniences or mental anxieties, but nevertheless those who live there have to take another birth according to karma. Persons whose minds are dull cannot understand this defect of a materialistic civilization aiming at material comforts. One may make his living conditions very pleasing for the senses, but despite all favorable conditions, one must in due course of time meet death. The members of a demoniac civilization endeavor to make their living conditions very comfortable, but they cannot check death. The influence of the Sudarśana cakra will not allow their so-called material happiness to endure.
</div>
</div>
</div>

Dull-minded persons who do not have the intelligence to understand this process of transmigration take for granted that when the gross body is finished, one's life is finished forever. Such persons have no brains

2025-07-15T05:54:45Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Dull-minded persons who do not have the intelligence to understand this process of transmigration take for granted that when the gross body is finished, one's life is finished forever. Such persons have no brains"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Alankrutha}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2021-02-04T12:31:39Z}}
{{last|2021-02-04T12:31:39Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=1|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Dull Mind]]
[[Category:Persons]]
[[Category:Do Not]]
[[Category:Not Have]]
[[Category:No Intelligence]]
[[Category:Intelligence to Understand]]
[[Category:Understanding the Process]]
[[Category:Process Of]]
[[Category:Transmigrating From One Body To Another]]
[[Category:Take It For Granted]]
[[Category:Gross Body]]
[[Category:When The Body Is Finished]]
[[Category:One (as in someone)]]
[[Category:Life]]
[[Category:Finish]]
[[Category:Forever]]
[[Category:Have No]]
[[Category:No Brain]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 10 Chapter 01 Purports - The Advent of Lord Krsna: Introduction]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10 Purports - Chapters 01 to 13]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
Dull-minded persons who do not have the intelligence to understand this process of transmigration take for granted that when the gross body is finished, one's life is finished forever. Such persons have no brains with which to understand the process of transmigration.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:SB 10.1.40|SB 10.1.40, Translation and Purport]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
Just as a person traveling on the road rests one foot on the ground and then lifts the other, or as a worm on a vegetable transfers itself to one leaf and then gives up the previous one, the conditioned soul takes shelter of another body and then gives up the one he had before.
</div>
<div class="text">
This is the process of the soul's transmigration from one body to another. At the time of death, according to his mental condition, the living being is carried by the subtle body, consisting of mind, intelligence and ego, to another gross body. When higher authorities have decided what kind of gross body the living entity will have, he is forced to enter such a body, and thus he automatically gives up his previous body. Dull-minded persons who do not have the intelligence to understand this process of transmigration take for granted that when the gross body is finished, one's life is finished forever. Such persons have no brains with which to understand the process of transmigration. At the present moment there is great opposition to the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, which is being called a "brainwashing" movement. But actually the so-called scientists, philosophers and other leaders in the Western countries have no brains at all. The Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is trying to elevate such foolish persons by enlightening their intelligence so that they will take advantage of the human body. Unfortunately, because of gross ignorance, they regard the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement as a brainwashing movement. They do not know that without God consciousness one is forced to continue transmigrating from one body to another. Because of their devilish brains, they will next be forced to accept an abominable life and practically never be able to liberate themselves from the conditional life of material existence. How this transmigration of the soul takes place is very clearly explained in this verse.
</div>
</div>
</div>

The three kinds of miserable conditions-adhyatmika, adhibhautika & adhidaivika (miseries inflicted by the body & mind itself, those inflicted by other living entities & natural disturbances) - were all absent during the reign of Ramacandra or Yudhisthira

2025-07-13T06:30:59Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"The three kinds of miserable conditions-adhyātmika, adhibhautika and adhidaivika (miseries inflicted by the body and mind itself, those inflicted by other living entities, and natural disturbances)—were all absent during the reign of Lord Rāmacandra or Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Nirmal}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2020-10-27T11:50:07Z}}
{{last|2020-10-27T11:50:07Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=1|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Three Kinds of Miseries]]
[[Category:Kinds of Miserable Conditions]]
[[Category:Adhyatmika]]
[[Category:Adhibhautika]]
[[Category:Adhidaivika]]
[[Category:Miseries]]
[[Category:Inflict]]
[[Category:Miseries from the Body]]
[[Category:Miseries from the Mind]]
[[Category:Body and Mind]]
[[Category:Itself]]
[[Category:Those]]
[[Category:Inflict]]
[[Category:Miseries from Other Living Entities]]
[[Category:Natural Disturbances]]
[[Category:Were]]
[[Category:Absence]]
[[Category:During]]
[[Category:Yudhisthira's Reigning]]
[[Category:Ramacandra]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 04 Chapter 25 Purports - The Descriptions of the Characteristics of King Puranjana]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 04 Purports]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>SB Canto 4</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
The three kinds of miserable conditions-adhyātmika, adhibhautika and adhidaivika (miseries inflicted by the body and mind itself, those inflicted by other living entities, and natural disturbances)—were all absent during the reign of Lord Rāmacandra or Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. But at present, compared to other countries on earth, India is artificially disturbed. Despite these material disturbances, however, the country's culture is such that one can easily attain the goal of life—namely salvation, or liberation from material bondage. Thus in order to take birth in India one must have performed many pious activities in a past life.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:SB 4.25.13|SB 4.25.13, Translation and Purport]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
Once, while wandering in this way, he saw on the southern side of the Himalayas, in a place named Bhārata-varṣa [India], a city that had nine gates all about and was characterized by all auspicious facilities.
</div>
<div class="text">
The tract of land south of the Himalaya Mountains is the land of India, which was known as Bhārata-varṣa. When a living entity takes birth in Bhārata-varṣa he is considered to be most fortunate. Indeed, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has stated:

<div class="quote_verse">
:bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra
:janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
:([[Vanisource:CC Adi 9.41|CC Adi 9.41]])
</div>

Thus whoever takes birth in the land of Bhārata-varṣa attains all the facilities of life. He may take advantage of all these facilities for both material and spiritual advancement and thus make his life successful. After attaining the goal of life, one may distribute his knowledge and experience all over the world for humanitarian purposes. In other words, one who takes birth in the land of Bhārata-varṣa by virtue of his past pious activities gets full facility to develop the human form of life. In India, the climatic condition is such that one can live very peacefully without being disturbed by material conditions. Indeed, during the time of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira or Lord Rāmacandra, people were free from all anxieties. There was not even extreme cold or extreme heat. The three kinds of miserable conditions-adhyātmika, adhibhautika and adhidaivika (miseries inflicted by the body and mind itself, those inflicted by other living entities, and natural disturbances)—were all absent during the reign of Lord Rāmacandra or Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. But at present, compared to other countries on earth, India is artificially disturbed. Despite these material disturbances, however, the country's culture is such that one can easily attain the goal of life—namely salvation, or liberation from material bondage. Thus in order to take birth in India one must have performed many pious activities in a past life.

In this verse the word lakṣita-lakṣaṇām indicates that the human body attained in Bhārata-varṣa is very auspicious. Vedic culture is full of knowledge, and a person born in India can fully take advantage of Vedic cultural knowledge and the cultural system known as varṇāśrama-dharma. Even at the present time, as we travel all over the world, we see that in some countries human beings have many material facilities but no facilities for spiritual advancement. We find everywhere the defects of one-sided facilities and a lack of full facilities. A blind man can walk but not see, and a lame man cannot walk but can see. Andha-paṅgu-nyāya. The blind man may take the lame man over his shoulder, and as he walks the lame man may give him directions. Thus combined they may work, but individually neither the blind man nor the lame man can walk successfully. Similarly, this human form of life is meant for the advancement of spiritual life and for keeping the material necessities in order. Especially in the Western countries there are ample facilities for material comforts, but no one has any idea of spiritual advancement. Many are hankering after spiritual advancement, but many cheaters come, take advantage of their money, bluff them and go away. Fortunately the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is there to give all facilities for both material and spiritual advancement. In this way people in the Western countries may take advantage of this movement. In India any man in the villages, unaffected by the industrial cities of India, can still live in any condition and make spiritual advancement. The body has been called the city of nine gates, and these nine gates include two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, one mouth, a genital and a rectum. When the nine gates are clean and working properly, it is to be understood that the body is healthy. In India these nine gates are kept clean by the villagers who rise early in the morning, bathe in the well or rivers, go to the temples to attend maṅgala-ārati, chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and take prasāda. In this way one can take advantage of all the facilities of human life. We are gradually introducing this system in different centers in our Society in the Western countries. One who takes advantage of it becomes more and more enlightened in spiritual life. At the present moment, India may be compared to the lame man and the Western countries to the blind man. For the past two thousand years India has been subjugated by the rule of foreigners, and the legs of progress have been broken. In the Western countries the eyes of the people have become blind due to the dazzling glitter of material opulence. The blind man of the Western countries and the lame man of India should combine together in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Then the lame man of India can walk with the help of the Westerner, and the blind Westerner can see with the help of the lame man. In short, the material advancement of the Western countries and the spiritual assets of India should combine for the elevation of all human society.
</div>
</div>
</div>

We are suffering from miseries caused by other living entities and acts of nature as well as from miseries arising from the body and mind themselves

2025-07-13T06:27:58Z

Somnath:

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"We are suffering from miseries caused by other living entities and acts of nature as well as from miseries arising from the body and mind themselves"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Soham}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2022-08-21T15:30:43Z}}
{{last|2022-08-21T15:30:43Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=1|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:We Are]]
[[Category:Suffering]]
[[Category:Causes of Miseries]]
[[Category:Miseries from Other Living Entities]]
[[Category:Act]]
[[Category:Nature]]
[[Category:As Well As]]
[[Category:Arise]]
[[Category:Miseries from the Body]]
[[Category:Miseries from the Mind]]
[[Category:Body and Mind]]
[[Category:Themselves]]
[[Category:Teachings of Lord Kapila Chapter 06 - Devahūti Desires Transcendental Knowledge]]
[[Category:Teachings of Lord Kapila Chapters 01 to 18]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Other Books by Srila Prabhupada</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>Teachings of Lord Kapila</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
We are suffering from miseries caused by other living entities and acts of nature as well as from miseries arising from the body and mind themselves. The soul is aloof from the body and mind, but he suffers due to material contamination. We have no control over these threefold miseries. They are controlled by Kṛṣṇa's maidservant, Goddess Durgā, who is material nature.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:TLK 6 Devahūti Desires Transcendental Knowledge|Teachings of Lord Kapila, 6]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
Your Lordship is my only means of getting out of this darkest region of ignorance because You are my transcendental eye, which, by Your mercy only, I have attained after many, many births.
</div>
<div class="text">
This verse is very instructive, since it indicates the relationship between the spiritual master and the disciple. The disciple or conditioned soul is put into this darkest region of ignorance and therefore is entangled in the material existence of sense gratification. It is very difficult to get out of this entanglement and attain freedom, but if one is fortunate enough to get the association of a spiritual master like Kapila Muni or His representative, then by his grace one can be delivered from the mire of ignorance. The spiritual master is therefore worshiped as one who delivers the disciple from the mire of ignorance with the light of the torch of knowledge. The word pāragam is very significant. pāragam refers to one who can take the disciple to the other side. This side is conditioned life; the other side is the life of freedom. The spiritual master takes the disciple to the other side by opening his eyes with knowledge. We are suffering simply because of ignorance. By the instruction of the spiritual master, the darkness of ignorance is removed, and thus the disciple is enabled to go to the side of freedom. It is stated in Bhagavad-gītā that after many, many births one surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, if, after many, many births, one is able to find a bona fide spiritual master and surrender to such a bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa, he can be taken to the side of light.

The bona fide spiritual master is a true Vedāntist, for he actually knows Vedānta and the Vedas and understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. The word veda means "knowledge," and anta means "last phase." There are different types of knowledge. We are interested in ordinary knowledge for economic benefit, but that is not actual knowledge. That is the art of livelihood. One may study to be an electrician and earn his livelihood by repairing electric lines. This kind of knowledge is called śilpa jñāna. Real knowledge, however, is Vedic knowledge, knowing oneself, what one is and what God is and understanding one's relationship with God, and one's duty.

One who is searching after knowledge is called jñānavān. Knowledge begins with the inquiry athāto brahma jijñāsā: "what is Brahman?" Knowledge also begins by understanding the threefold miseries of the material world - ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika and ādhidaivika. We are suffering from miseries caused by other living entities and acts of nature as well as from miseries arising from the body and mind themselves. The soul is aloof from the body and mind, but he suffers due to material contamination. We have no control over these threefold miseries. They are controlled by Kṛṣṇa's maidservant, Goddess Durgā, who is material nature. She is not independent of Kṛṣṇa. However, she is so powerful that she can create and maintain. Prakṛti, nature, can be very unkind. Mother Durgā is often portrayed as chastising demons by piercing them with a trident.

Those who are learned and intelligent look to the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead for relief from the threefold miseries of material existence. Although this material world is nothing but darkness, people are very proud of their eyes. They are always saying, "Can you show me God?" The answer to that is: "Have you the eyes to see God?" Why is the emphasis placed on seeing? Certainly, God can be seen, as stated in Brahma-saṁhitā (5.38), premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena: "Govinda (Kṛṣṇa) is always seen by the devotee whose eyes are anointed by the pulp of love."

If we are devotees, lovers of God, the ointment of love will clear our eyes. In order to see God, we have to cleanse our eyes by wiping away the cataracts of material contamination. Although we may be eager to see God, we cannot see Him with these material eyes. Not only can we not see Him, but we cannot understand Him, although His name is there. Understanding God means first of all understanding His name. Therefore from the beginning we should chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. God is not different from His name. Kṛṣṇa's name and Kṛṣṇa's person are the same. "Absolute" means that Kṛṣṇa's name, form, place, dress, pastimes and everything are nondifferent from Him. Kṛṣṇa is present in His name, but because we have no love for Him, we cannot see Him.

Sanātana Gosvāmī was a great learned scholar, and he was called a paṇḍita, which indicates that he was a learned brāhmaṇa. When Sanātana Gosvāmī approached Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he said, "The people in my neighborhood are calling me a paṇḍita, and I am very unhappy because of this." Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked, "Why are you dissatisfied?" Sanātana Gosvāmī replied, "I am such a poor paṇḍita that I do not even know the goal of life. I do not even know what is beneficial for me. I am simply being carried away by sense gratification." In this way, Sanātana Gosvāmī approached Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He did not approach Him to get some gold or some medicine. He went to find out his real self-interest. This is the real purpose for approaching a guru.

Devahūti approached Lord Kapiladeva in the same way. She said, "My dear Kapila, You have come as my son, but You are my guru because You can inform me how I can cross the ocean of nescience, which is the material world." Thus one who feels the need to cross the dark ocean of nescience, which is material existence, requires a guru. It is not the guru's task to supply gold and medicine. Now it has become a fashion to keep a guru as if he were a dog or a cat. This is of no use. We must inquire about that portion of God's creation which is beyond this darkness. The Upaniṣads and Bhagavad-gītā describe another world, beyond this material nature. According to Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā ([[Vanisource:BG 15.6|15.6]]):

<div class="quote_verse">
:na tad bhāsayate sūryo
:na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ
:yad gatvā na nivartante
:tad dhāma paramaṁ mama
</div>

"That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity. One who reaches it never returns to this material world."

It is not possible for us to go to that paravyoma by material means. It is impossible to penetrate the material universe unless one understands Kṛṣṇa. One can be enlightened by the mercy of God because Kṛṣṇa Himself comes to give us information. If He does not come personally, He sends His devotee, or He leaves behind Him Bhagavad-gītā. However, we are so foolish that we do not take advantage of them. We do not take advantage of His devotee, who hankers to give this knowledge, sacrificing everything. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said:

<div class="quote_verse">
:brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
:guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
</div>

"The fallen, conditioned living entity, trapped by the external energy, loiters in the material world, but if by good fortune he meets a bona fide representative of the Lord, and if he takes advantage of such a guru, he receives the seed of devotional service." ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 19.151|CC Madhya 19.151]])

The seed of devotional service is received by a most fortunate person. Those who are cultivating bhakti in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness are the most fortunate people in the world. By Kṛṣṇa's mercy one can receive the bhakti-latā-bīja, the seed of devotional service. Unless one is free from the reactions of sin, one cannot understand bhakti or Bhagavān. Therefore we must act piously by giving up illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. If we lead a pious life, we can understand God. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is engaged in training people to this end so that their lives will be successful.
</div>
</div>
</div>