Prabhupāda: [kīrtana]

...śrī-gurūn vaiṣṇavāṁś ca
sādvaitaṁ sāvadhūtaṁ parijana-sahitaṁ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-devaṁ


prabhu nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara

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

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare

[My dear Lord, and the spiritual energy of the Lord, kindly engage me in Your service. I am now embarrassed with this material service. Please engage me in Your service.]

[prema-dhvani] [devotees offer obeisances]


Prabhupāda: [sings:] Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. [devotees respond, repeat twice]

cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-
lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

[Bs. 5.29]


Devotees: Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **.

Prabhupāda: [aside:] Somebody is helping him? Yes, it is all...

So we are interested in capturing the original person. [chuckles] We are not interested with any subordinate. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ. But if one can capture the original person, then he captures everyone. Just like the same example: In the Vedas it is said, in the Upaniṣad, yasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ [Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3].


If you can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or the Absolute Truth, then you understand everything. There is no need of understanding separately. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam etaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavanti. Similarly, in the Bhagavad-gītā also, it is said,

yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ
manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ
yasmin sthite guruṇāpi
duḥkhena na vicālyate

[Bg. 6.22]


Now, we are, everyone, searching after some standard of life where we will have no anxiety. That is the aim of everyone. Why we are struggling? We are trying to approach a certain point. Just like two parties playing on football, they are, each one of them, trying to approach the goal. That is victory.

So everyone is trying to gain something, according to different position, according to different idea. Not everyone is searching after the same thing. Somebody searching after material pleasure, somebody searching after intoxication, somebody is searching after sex, somebody is searching after money, somebody is searching after knowledge—somebody is searching after so many things.

But there is one thing, if we can get that, attain to that perfection, then we shall be satisfied and we shall say that "We do not want anything." Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce [Cc. Madhya 22.42]. There are many instances.


So there is like that, and that is Kṛṣṇa. If you can simply understand Kṛṣṇa, then your knowledge is perfect, you understand everything. You understand science, you understand mathematics, you understand chemistry, physics, astronomy, philosophy, literature, everything. It is so nice. So Bhāgavata says therefore that saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam [SB 1.2.13].


Whatever department of knowledge or whatever department of activities you are engaged in, it doesn't matter. But if you can find out the Supreme by your pursuit of knowledge, that is your perfection.

You are a scientist? All right, it doesn't matter. By your scientific research work you find out the Supreme. Then it is your perfection. You are businessman? Oh. With your money just find out the Supreme. You are lover? Just find out the supreme lover. You are after taste, aesthetic, or...

Atheistic not; aesthetic sense, taste, beauty, if you find out the Supreme, your searching after beauty will be satisfied. Everything. Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa means all-attractive. You are searching after something. If you find Kṛṣṇa then you'll see "Yes," your goal is attained. Therefore His name is Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa means "all-attractive." He [is] attractive to the lover, He's attractive to the wise, He's attractive to the politician, He's attractive to the scientist, He is attractive to the rogues. Rogues also. When Kṛṣṇa entered the arena of Kaṁsa, different kinds of people saw Him differently. Those who were invited from Vṛndāvana, they were young girls.

They saw Kṛṣṇa, "Oh, the most beautiful person." Those who were wrestlers, they saw Kṛṣṇa as thunderbolt. They also saw Kṛṣṇa, but they saw, "Oh, here is thunderbolt." Just like however strong you may be, if there is falldown of thunderbolt, everything is finished. So they saw Kṛṣṇa as thunderbolt, the wrestlers. Yes. And the elderly persons, elderly ladies, they saw Kṛṣṇa as loving child.

So you can establish relationship with Kṛṣṇa any way. There are ten..., twelve kinds of rasas, humor. Just like sometimes we want to see a very pathetic scene in some drama, some ghastly scene. Somebody is murdering somebody and we take pleasure in seeing that. There are certain kinds of person... There are different kinds of sporting.

One of our student in Montreal, he was saying that his father took pleasure in bull fighting in Spain. When the bull is killed by fighting, he was taking pleasure. Different kinds of men. One person is seeing, "It is horrible," another person is enjoying, "Oh, it is very nice." You see? So Kṛṣṇa can accommodate. If you want to love horrible things, Kṛṣṇa can present yourself as Nṛsiṁha-deva, "Ah." [laughter]

Devotees: Haribol!

Prabhupāda: Yes. And if you want to see Kṛṣṇa as very loving friend, He is Vamśī-dhārī, Vṛndāvana-vihārī. If you want Kṛṣṇa as loving child, then He's Gopāla. If you want Kṛṣṇa as loving friend, He's [friend of] Arjuna. Just like Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa. So there are twelve kinds of humors. Kṛṣṇa can be accommodated with all the humors; therefore His name is Akhila-rasāmṛta-sindhu.

Akhila-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Akhila means universal; rasa means mellow, humor; and the ocean. Just like if you try to find out water and if you go before the Pacific Ocean, oh, unlimited water. There is no comparison how much water is there. [chuckling] Similarly, if you want something and if you approach Kṛṣṇa, you'll find unlimited supply, unlimited supply, just like ocean.

Therefore it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ [Bg. 6.22].


If anyone can approach or gain that Supreme Absolute, then he will be satisfied and he will say, "Oh, I have no more hankering. I have got everything complete, in full satisfaction." Yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ yasmin sthite. And if one is situated in that transcendental position, then what happens? Guruṇāpi duḥkhena na vicālyate. If there is very severe test of distress, he's not, I mean to say, faltering.

There are many instances in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā the Pāṇḍavas were placed in so many distressed condition, but they were never faltering. They never asked Kṛṣṇa, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are my friend. You are our friend, the Pāṇḍavas. Why we are undergoing so much severe test of difficulties?" No. They never.

Because they were confident that "In spite of all these difficulties, we shall come out victorious, because Kṛṣṇa is there." Because Kṛṣṇa is there. This confidence. This is called śaraṇāgati, surrender. There are six points of surrender unto Kṛṣṇa. One point of surrender is to believe that "Kṛṣṇa will protect me." Just like a small child has got full faith in his mother: "My mother is there. There is no danger." Confident. I have seen it. Everyone.

I have got... I'll narrate one practical experience. In Calcutta, in my younger days, I was traveling in tram, and my youngest son, he was with me. He was only two years old, or two or three years old. So the conductor, out of joke, asked him, "Give me your fare." So he first of all said like this: "I have no money." So the conductor said, "Then you get down." He immediately said, "Oh, here is my father." [laughter] You see? "You cannot ask me to get down. My father is here." You see?

So this is the psychology. If you have approached Kṛṣṇa, then even the greatest fear will not agitate you. That is a fact. So such a thing is Kṛṣṇa. Try to achieve this greatest boon, Kṛṣṇa. And what Kṛṣṇa says? Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati [Bg. 9.31]:


"My dear Kaunteya, son of Kuntī, Arjuna, declare in the world that My devotees will never be vanquished." Will never be vanquished. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati. Similarly, there are many passages in the Bhagavad-gītā. I'm quoting from Bhagavad-gītā because this book is very popular all over the world, and try to understand, read this book, very valuable book of knowledge.

So Kṛṣṇa says,

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māṁ
budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ

[Bg. 10.8]


Who can worship Kṛṣṇa? That is described here, that budhā. Budhā means most intelligent person. Bodha. Bodha means knowledge, and budhā means one who is wise, full of knowledge. Everyone is after knowledge. Here you have got this Washington University. There are many students. They have come here to acquire knowledge. So one who has acquired the perfection of knowledge or the highest platform of knowledge, he is called budhā.

So not only budhā but bhāva-samanvitāḥ. Bhāva means ecstasy. One must be very learned and wise, at the same time he must feel ecstasy spiritually. "Such person," Kṛṣṇa says, iti matvā bhajante mām: "Such persons worships Me or loves Me." One who is very intelligent and one who is transcendentally very full of ecstasy, such person loves Kṛṣṇa or worships Kṛṣṇa. Why? Because iti matvā, "by understanding this." What is this? Now, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo [Bg. 10.8], "I am the origin of everything," sarvasya. Anything you bring, that is, if you go on, search out, then you will find ultimately it is Kṛṣṇa.

The Vedānta also says the same thing. What is Brahman? Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This life, this human life... We have now... In other life we have enjoyed sense pleasure to the fullest extent. What we can enjoy in this human life? In other life... Of course, according to Darwin's theory, just prior to this human life there was monkey life.

So the monkey—you have no experience; in India we have got experience—each and every monkey has got at least hundred girls with him. Hundred, one hundred. So what we are able to enjoy? Every, each, they have got party, and each party, one monkey has got a least fifty, sixty, not less than twenty-five. So a hog's life, they have got also dozens of. Dozens. And they have no distinction, "Who is my mother, who is my sister, who is my relative." You see? So they're enjoying.

So do you mean to say that human life is meant like that—like monkeys and hogs and cats and dogs? Is that perfection of human life, to satisfy sense gratification? No. That we have enjoyed in various forms of life. Now, the Vedānta says, athāto brahma jijñāsā. This life is for inquiring and understanding Brahman. What is that Brahman? Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ brahma or parama..., īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ [Bs. 5.1].


And Kṛṣṇa is Para-brahma. Brahman, we are all Brahman, but He is Para-brahman, the Supreme Brahman. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ. Just like you are all Americans, but your President Johnson is the supreme American. That is natural. Vedas says that the supreme of everyone is God. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13].

[The Supreme Lord is eternal and the living beings are eternal. The Supreme Lord is cognizant and the living beings are cognizant. The difference is that the Supreme Lord is supplying all the necessities of life for the many other living entities.]

Who is God? That He is the most perfect eternal, He is the most perfect living force. That is God.

Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13]. The meaning is that one living force is supplying all the demands of all other living entities. Just like in a family the father is supplying the necessities of the wife, the children, the servant, a small family.

Similarly, you expand it: the government or the state or the king is supplying the necessities of all the citizens. But everything is incomplete. Everything is incomplete. You can supply your family, you can supply your society, you can supply your country, but you cannot supply everyone.

But there are millions and trillions of living entities. Who is supplying food? Who is supplying hundreds and thousands of ants within the hole in your room? Who is supplying food? When you go to the green lake there are thousands of ducks. Who is taking care of them? But they are living. There are millions of sparrows, birds, beasts, elephants.

At one time he eats hundred pounds. Who is supplying food? Not only here, but there are many millions and trillions of planets and universes everywhere. That is God. Nityo nityānām eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Everyone is dependent on Him, and He is supplying all the necessities. All the necessities. Everything complete.

Just like this planet, everything is complete.

pūrṇam idaṁ pūrṇam adaḥ
pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate
pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya
pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate

[Īśo Invocation]


Every planet is so made that it is complete in itself. The water is there, reserved in the seas and oceans. That water is taken away by the sunshine. Not only here, in other planets also, the same process is going on. It is transformed into cloud, then distributed all over the land, and there is growing of vegetables, fruits and plants, everything.

So everything is complete arrangement. That we have to understand, that who has made this complete arrangement. Everywhere, the sun is rising in due time, the moon is rising in due time, the seasons are changing in due time. So how you can say? There is evidence in the Vedas there is God. In every scripture, every great personality, devotee, representative of God...

Just like Lord Jesus Christ, he gave information of God. Although he was crucified, he never changed his opinion. So we have evidences from scripture, from Vedas, from great personality, still, if I say, "God is dead. There is no God," then what kind of man I am? This is called demon. They'll never believe it. They'll never believe... Yes.

Just the opposite demon is budhā. Budhā means very intelligent, wise man. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, therefore, kṛṣṇa ye bhaje se baḍa catura [Cc. Antya 4.67].

[“Anyone who takes to devotional service is exalted, whereas a nondevotee is always condemned and abominable. Therefore in the discharge of devotional service to the Lord, there is no consideration of the status of one’s family.]

Anyone who becomes attracted by Kṛṣṇa and loves Him... Worshiping means loving. In the beginning it is worshiping, but at the end it is love. Worshiping. So iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā. Anyone who is wise, who is intelligent, who knows that Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes...

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ

[Bs. 5.1]


Sarva-kāraṇa: everything has got cause, cause and effect. So you go on finding out what is the cause of this, what is the cause of this, what is the cause of this, then you'll find Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam. And Vedānta says, janmādy asya yataḥ.

You cannot say something has sprang automatically. That is foolishness. Everything has a source of generation. Everything. That is intelligence. Don't say... Just like in modern science says that "There was a chunk and there was creation—perhaps." That is also "perhaps," you see. So this kind of knowledge is useless. You must find out. If I ask the scientist, "What is the cause of this chunk?" they cannot reply. So find out the cause, and you'll find that...

If I cannot find, then we have to follow. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Cc. Madhya 17.186], we have to follow the authorized ācāryas.

[Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “’Dry arguments are inconclusive. A great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles are understood. The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated, self-realized person. Consequently, as the śāstras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahājanas advocate.’”]

If you be Christian, just follow Jesus Christ. He says, "There is God." Then you accept there is God. He says that "God created this. He said that 'Let there be creation,' and there was creation." So we accept this, "Yes. God created." Here also in the Bhagavad-gītā the God says, Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo [Bg. 10.8],


"I am the origin." So God is the origin of creation. Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam [Bs. 5.1]:


He is the cause of all causes. So we have to take the examples of great personalities, we have to study authorized books and Vedas, and we have to follow their example; then Kṛṣṇa consciousness or God realization or God consciousness is not difficult. It is very easy. There is no, I mean to say, any stumbling block on the path of your understanding what is God. Everything is there.

The Bhagavad-gītā is there, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata is there. Even you accept, your Bible is there, the Koran is there, everywhere. Without God, there cannot be any book or scripture. Nowadays, of course, they are manufacturing so many things. But in any human society the conception of God is there—according to time, according to the people—but the idea is there. Now you have to understand, jijñāsā.

Therefore Vedānta-sūtra says that you try to understand God by inquiry. Inquiry. This inquiry is very important. In our process, ādau gurvāśrayaṁ sad-dharma pṛcchāt [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.74].

[In the beginning one should accept the shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and inquire submissively about religious principles. He should then desire to follow in the footsteps of the great devotees of the Lord.]

One has to accept a bona fide spiritual master and he has to inquire from him, sad-dharma pṛcchāt. Similarly, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also says that jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam: "One who is inquisitive to understand the Absolute Truth, he requires a spiritual master." Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam [SB 11.3.21].


Jijñāsuḥ means inquisitive, one who inquires. Inquiry is natural. Just like a child: with the development of his life he inquires from the parents, "Father, what it is?" "Mother, what it is? What it is? What it is?" This is nice. A boy, child, who is inquiring, that means he is very intelligent.

So we should be intelligent and inquire, jijñāsā. Brahma-jijñāsā. This life is for brahma-jijñāsā, to understand, to inquire about God. Then a life is successful. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. And after inquiring, inquiring, inquiring, understanding, understanding, understanding, then what is the ultimate stage? That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate [Bg. 7.19].


After many, many births of inquiry, when one becomes actually a wise man, man of knowledge, then what happens? Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate: "He surrenders unto Me," Kṛṣṇa says. Why? Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti: he understands that Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is the cause of all causes. Sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ: but such kind of great soul is very rare to understand it. Therefore Caitanya-caritāmṛta says, sei bado catura: he is very intelligent.

So these are the definition of intelligent person. So if we want to be intelligent, we can adopt the process how to become intelligent. But on the other hand, if we are actually intelligent, why not take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness immediately and become intelligent? Without..., without going to the process, you take. It is offered to you by the most magnanimous incarnation, Lord Caitanya. He's offering you, kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te [Cc. Madhya 19.53].


He's giving you love of Kṛṣṇa. Rūpa Gosvāmī offered his obeisances to Lord Caitanya, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te: "O my dear Lord Caitanya, You are the most charitable, magnanimous of all incarnation." Why? "Because You are directly giving love of Kṛṣṇa. The love of Kṛṣṇa which cannot be achieved after many, many births, You are delivering cheaply, 'Take it immediately.' "

Namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya [Cc. Madhya 19.53]. They could understand that "You are Kṛṣṇa"; otherwise it was not possible by anyone to offer kṛṣṇa-prema, love of Kṛṣṇa, so cheaply. "You are Kṛṣṇa, You have got that power." And actually He is so. Kṛṣṇa failed to give kṛṣṇa-prema, love of Kṛṣṇa, when He came personally and taught Bhagavad-gītā. He simply said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66].


But people misunderstood Him. Therefore Kṛṣṇa came as a devotee and offered kṛṣṇa-prema to the people in general.

So our request to everyone that you take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and you will feel that "I don't want any more, anything more. I am satisfied, fully satisfied."

Thank you very much.

Any question?

Viṣṇujana: How do we render perfect service to Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: By your anxiety. [laughter]

Devotees: Haribol!

Prabhupāda: If you are anxious to serve Kṛṣṇa, that is the real asset. Kṛṣṇa is unlimited. What service we can offer to Him? And He has got unlimited servants also. What service He requires from you and me? He's perfect in Himself. He doesn't require any service also. But if you are anxious to serve Him, then He does not refuse.

That is His mercy; that is His magnanimity. So the more you increase your anxiety to serve Kṛṣṇa, the more it becomes perfect. He's unlimited. Your anxiety, you become unlimited. So there is competition. The more you serve Kṛṣṇa, the more He accepts you and the more He gives you intelligence. You see?

So the spiritual world is unlimited. There is no end of service, and there is no end of accepting the service. It is not that. So eagerness. Tatra laulyam eka mūlyam. That is... I am not manufacturing the answer, but I am giving you evidence from Rūpa Gosvāmī, our ācārya. He says,

kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ
krīyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate

[Cc. Madhya 8.70]

[“’Pure devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be had even by pious activity in hundreds and thousands of lives. It can be attained only by paying one price—that is, intense greed to obtain it. If it is available somewhere, one must purchase it without delay.’”]

"My dear gentlemen, my dear boys and girls, if you can purchase a..., your sense of loving Kṛṣṇa—'How I can love Kṛṣṇa more and more'—this, this much, this anxiety, if you can purchase this matiḥ,"—means intelligence; it is very nice intelligence—" 'How I shall serve Kṛṣṇa...' " Kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ. Matiḥ means intelligence or status of mind, that "I'll serve Kṛṣṇa." "If you can purchase this status of mind anywhere, please immediately purchase."

Then next question will be, "All right, I shall purchase. What is the price? Do you know?" "Yes, I know what is the price." "What is that price?" Laulyam, "Simply your eagerness, that's all." Laulyam ekaṁ mūlyam. "Ah, that I can have." No. Na janma koṭibhis sukṛtibhir labhyate [Cc. Madhya 8.70].

This eagerness, how to love Kṛṣṇa, this is not available even after many, many births. So if you have a pinch of that anxiety, "How I can serve Kṛṣṇa?" you must know you are the most fortunate man. A pinch only, laulya, this anxiety, "How I can serve Kṛṣṇa?" it is very nice. Then Kṛṣṇa will give you intelligence.

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam...

[Bg. 10.10]


"Anyone who is engaged with love and affection in My service, without any hypocrisy," then Kṛṣṇa can understand everything. He is within me, within you. Then He will give you intelligence: "My dear boy, you do like this." And by doing that, what he will achieve? Yena mām upayānti te: "He'll come back to Me." And what profit he will get by going there? Ah, yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama [Bg. 15.6].


Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ [Bg. 9.32].


Duḥkhalayam aśāśvatam [Bg. 8.15].


There are so many. Please read Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. You'll get perfect knowledge, the science of God. That is the only study for human being.

So simply your eagerness is the perfection for serving Kṛṣṇa. Increase that eagerness. And eagerness means if you love Kṛṣṇa, that eagerness will increase with your increase of love: "How I shall serve Kṛṣṇa?" Because you are voluntary servant; nobody is forcing. That means unless you love Kṛṣṇa, how that eagerness will increase?

So there are so many things to love Kṛṣṇa. Beginning is this śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. This śravaṇam, hearing; and chanting. Hearing, you are hearing Hare Kṛṣṇa, you are hearing Bhagavad-gītā, you are hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam about Kṛṣṇa, and chanting. This is the beginning. Then, naturally,

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

[SB 7.5.23]


These nine kinds of different varieties of service to Kṛṣṇa will enlighten you, will advance you in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and your life will be successful.

Any other question? Try to understand, question. It is not a thing that we are forcibly pushing. You have got intelligence. Kṛṣṇa has given you intelligence. Try to understand with your intelligence, but do not try to avoid. Make your question to understand it, not making question to avoid it.

There are two kinds of question. That question will not help you. If you try to avoid, then Kṛṣṇa will help you to avoid. And if you want to capture Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will help you how you can capture. Two things are going on. Whatever path you want, you can accept.

Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham [Bg. 4.11].


Kṛṣṇa helps according to the person's attitude. If... There are... Just like so many philosophers, they want to forget Kṛṣṇa. Just like you will find in Dr. Radhakrishnan's book, in the Ninth Chapter Kṛṣṇa said, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg. 18.65].


The translation is all right, but he comments, "It is not to Kṛṣṇa that you have to surrender." Just see. That means his whole process of writing the book is to mislead person how one can forget Kṛṣṇa. So if anyone wants to forget Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will give him such intelligence that he will never be able to understand Kṛṣṇa.

But if anyone tries to love Kṛṣṇa, understand Kṛṣṇa, He'll give full of intelligence, you can understand. That is Kṛṣṇa. You have got full liberty. But if you forget Kṛṣṇa, then you have to serve māyā, and if you love Kṛṣṇa, then māyā will leave you.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Prabhupāda, after Lord Caitanya took sannyāsa, in the Teachings of Lord Caitanya it says He met His mother. I always thought that a sannyāsī could not do that.

Prabhupāda: No, a sannyāsī cannot meet his wife. A sannyāsī is forbidden to go home and never meet his wife, but he can meet if other... But that... Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not go to His home. It is by arrangement. Advaita Prabhu brought His mother to see Caitanya. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, after accepting sannyāsa, He was just like mad after Kṛṣṇa.

He was going on the shore of the Ganges, forgetting that this is Ganges. He thought that "This is Yamunā. I am going to Vṛndāvana, following the..." So Nityānanda Prabhu sent one man, that "I am following Caitanya. Please inform Advaita to bring one boat in some ghāṭa so that He'll be able to take Him to His home."

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu was in ecstasy. Then He saw all of a sudden that Advaita was waiting with a boat. So He asked Him, "Advaita, why You are here? Here, it is Yamunā." Advaita said, "Yes, My dear Lord, wherever You are, it is Yamunā. So You come with Me."

So He went, and when He went He went to Advaita's home. Then He saw, "You have misled Me. You have brought Me at Your home. It is not Vṛndāvana. How is that?" "All right, Sir. You have come by mistake, so...," [laughter] "please remain here."

So He immediately sent one man to His mother. Because He knew that Caitanya Mahāprabhu has accepted sannyāsa; He's never coming back again to home. So His mother is mad after the son. He was the only son. So He gave a chance to His mother to see Him for the last time. That was the..., arranged by Advaita.

So when mother came, Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately fell down on the feet of His mother. He was young man, twenty-four years old, and the mother, when he [she] saw that his [her] son has accepted sannyāsa, there is daughter-in-law at home, naturally woman, he was..., she was very much affected, began to cry. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu tried to pacify her with very nice words.

He said, "My dear mother, this body is given by you, so I should have engaged My body in your service. But I am your foolish son. I have done some mistake. Please excuse Me." So that scene is very pathetic—separation between mother and son.


All right, chant. [devotees offer obeisances] Chant.


[kīrtana] Loudly. Loudly. [prema-dhvanī] Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya. [devotees offer obeisances]

[japa] Today's kīrtana?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We collected fifty dollars.

Prabhupāda: Huh? Oh, that's nice. And Back to Godhead? How many copies sold, Back to Godhead?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: About fifty-two.

Prabhupāda: Oh. That's nice.

What is that? [end]