View source for We do not say that we do not believe in the demigods. No, we believe in. But they are servants. We cannot make the servant & master on the equal footing. We worship Durga. Now, what is the function? She is acting by the desire of the Supreme Lord, Govinda

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[[Category:We Do Not (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:We Say (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Our Belief (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Demigods]]
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[[Category:They Are]]
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[[Category:We Cannot (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Cannot Make]]
[[Category:Master]]
[[Category:Equal]]
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[[Category:Demigod Worship]]
[[Category:durga]]
[[Category:Durga-puja]]
[[Category:What Is The]]
[[Category:Function - ceremony]]
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[[Category:Krsna Desires]]
[[Category:Supreme Lord]]
[[Category:Govinda]]
[[Category:Questions Posed by Srila Prabhupada]]
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<div id="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="section" sec_index="5" parent="compilation" text="Conversations and Morning Walks"><h2>Conversations and Morning Walks</h2>
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<div id="1976_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="sub_section" sec_index="9" parent="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" text="1976 Conversations and Morning Walks"><h3>1976 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
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<div id="MorningWalkMarch251976Delhi_0" class="quote" parent="1976_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" book="Con" index="62" link="Morning Walk -- March 25, 1976, Delhi" link_text="Morning Walk -- March 25, 1976, Delhi">
<div class="heading">We do not say that we do not believe in the demigods. No, we believe in. But they are servants. That's all. We cannot make the servant and the master on the equal footing. That is all. We worship Durgā, sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Now, what is the function? Icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā govindam ādi... She is acting by the desire of the Supreme Lord, Govinda.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Morning Walk -- March 25, 1976, Delhi|Morning Walk -- March 25, 1976, Delhi]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Ātreya Ṛṣi: Attitude of devotion must be there.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: The attitude, devotion, is there. Otherwise why one should come to our camp? But it must be properly utilized. It should not be misused. If you go to school and if you don't read books, you'll fail in the examination.</p>
<p>Guru dāsa: But the attitude of devotion should be there every moment, so everything...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes.</p>
<p>Guru dāsa: ...is very meaningful. Everything is a big thing. When we go out we should realize we're doing it for Kṛṣṇa.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: That is said, man-manā. Think of Kṛṣṇa; He'll guide you. Very easy thing. Man-manā. Always think of Kṛṣṇa, then there is no question of falling down. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru ([[Vanisource:BG 18.65|BG 18.65]]). These four things, if strictly done, he is safe. He is safe. Always think of Kṛṣṇa, become His devotee, offer Him obeisances and.... Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī, and worship Him. This is Deity worship. That will engage in always in thinking, in offering obeisances. And if we strictly follow only these, these four principles, mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te: "You are coming back to Me without any doubt." But instead of thinking Kṛṣṇa, we are thinking something else, planning something, misusing independence.</p>
<p>Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Bhīmasena, I was speaking to him two days ago. He says that he'll turn over that temple to us. He wants to meet you, so I'm going to call him to come and see you.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes.</p>
<p>Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: He's a big talker, but I was flattering him, and I said, "If you transfer it over to..." (laughter) He said, "I'll do it when Prabhupāda comes." So I'll tell him to come and see you today and.... I told him if he transfers it over to us, then we can build better on the top. He has already built something downstairs, and we can make it a very beautiful temple.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.</p>
<p>Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We'll call it Bhīmasena.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes.</p>
<p>Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: He wants to become famous, so I said, "Everybody will know that you built a temple there."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: So it is good idea.</p>
<p>Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, the location is very good. It's right in the center. And they have Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deities there, plus they have Rāma, Sītā, Lakṣmaṇa, Hanumān, which we can also worship.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.</p>
<p>Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Only problem is they have Durgā.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Durgā, so we can worship, giving Durgā the prasādam of Rāma or Kṛṣṇa. That's it.</p>
<p>Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, something can be worked out.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Not directly. His prasāda. If we can worship ordinary human being, why not Durgā? But we give prasādam. We shall give. So don't tell all these things now.</p>
<p>Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No, I didn't tell him anything.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: We do not say that we do not believe in the demigods. No, we believe in. But they are servants. That's all. We cannot make the servant and the master on the equal footing. That is all. We worship Durgā, sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Now, what is the function? Icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā govindam ādi... She is acting by the desire of the Supreme Lord, Govinda.</p>
<p>Guru dāsa: Better than we are and should be worshiped.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Eh?</p>
<p>Guru dāsa: Better devotee than we are and should be worshiped.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.</p>
<p>Ātreya Ṛṣi: As a devotee.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes, she's a devotee. Just like we say "prabhu." Prabhu means your master. So "Because you are devotee, we accept you as master." Master means "I am ready to serve you because you are devotee. I am your servant." Dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 13.80|CC Madhya 13.80]]). "Because you are devotee, I am prepared to serve you. Otherwise not."</p>
<p>Cyavana: Do the demigods sometimes forget their positions?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Why you are serving me? If I had been an ordinary person, why...? You would have not.... Because you accept that "You are devotee," therefore you serve. So as soon as we find a devotee, immediately serve him. Chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā, nistāra pāyeche kebā. Without serving a devotee, who can be elevated? It is our duty. So we can serve the devotee.</p>
<p>Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? Why is...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Prahlāda Mahārāja was offered, "Whatever you like, you take." He said, "No, no, I don't want anything. Please engage me in the service of Your servant." He rejected everything. He simply said, nīja-dāsya-yogam: "Kindly engage me in the service of Your servant." That is wanted.</p>
<p>Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, Prahlāda Mahārāja...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: He did not want even direct service. "Engage me in Your service," he did not say.</p>
<p>Guru dāsa: No.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: He said, "Engage me in Your servant's service."</p>
<p>Guru dāsa: So if we see people in the world as potential devotees, we should also serve them so they can become good devotees.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: That is not service. That is mercy. One who is potential devotee, to show him mercy, develop him to become a devotee, that is mercy. That is not service. Service can be rendered to the higher person. And to the lower person you can show your mercy.</p>
<p>Guru dāsa: Oh, that's a good distinction.</p>
<p>Hari-śauri: That's said in Upadeśāmṛta...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. One who is lower than you, he requires your mercy. You give him mercy. And who is higher than you, you give him service. Not that Vivekananda did, that everyone service. No, service to the higher person. And to the lower person? Mercy.</p>
<p>Guru dāsa: Someone asked me the other day if I knew Swami...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: And equal person? Friendship.</p>
<p>Guru dāsa: Yes.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: With equal, friendship. With higher, service. And with lower, mercy.</p>
<p>Guru dāsa: And envious, ignore.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes, ignore. Neutral: "You go to hell. We don't mind."</p>
<p>Guru dāsa: Somebody asked me the other day if I knew Swami Vivekananda. I said "Viveka-who?" He said, "Vivekananda is very famous in the West. Do you know him?" I said, "Viveka-who? I have never heard of him."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: (chuckles) So he was little surprised.</p>
<p>Cyavana: They made some propaganda, that's all.</p>
<p>Ātreya Ṛṣi: That's Guru dāsa's trick.</p>
<p>Hari-śauri: Śrīla Prabhupāda, if one serves the higher devotees and shows compassion to less advanced devotees, then where is the question, say, for a position of an advanced devotee who is feeling himself to be the lowest? So is that distinction still there of higher and lower? If he is feeling himself to be the lowest?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: He does not feel lowest. He takes sympathy that "Here is a person. He can be a devotee. So let me raise him to the standard." He does not think that he is lowest. Devotee always thinks that he is lower than the worm. But it is the duty. It is the duty. It does not mean that he is thinking, "I am higher." No.</p>
<p>Guru dāsa: That's again mercy.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Mercy.</p>
<p>Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: In other words, he doesn't consider that he's advanced and that therefore he is showing mercy to lower.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. He is always thinking, "I am lower than the worm, but Lord Kṛṣṇa wants, so let me do some service. That's all."</p>
<p>Guru dāsa: That is our occupation, to show mercy to others.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes.</p>
<p>Ātreya Ṛṣi: And amongst devotees, Godbrothers, an advanced devotee is one who sees that "Everybody is serving Kṛṣṇa so nicely..."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes.</p>
<p>Ātreya Ṛṣi: "...so let me assist them."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes.</p>
<p>Ātreya Ṛṣi: "Let me facilitate their service."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore we say prabhu. Prabhu means "You are my master. Please order me. What can I do for you?" That should be the attitude. (break) ..."Guru dāsa Prabhu, please come here and brush my shoes." (laughter) What kind of prabhu? He should say, "Guru dāsa Prabhu, can I brush your shoes?" That is real Vaiṣṇava, not that "Guru dāsa Prabhu, come here and brush my shoes." Other devotees, they do not come for morning class?</p>
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