imam lokam tathaivamum

atmanam ubhayayinam

atmanam anu ye ceha

ye rayah pasavo grhah

visrjya sarvan anyams ca

mam evam visvato-mukham

bhajanty ananyaya bhaktya

tan mrtyor atiparaye

TRANSLATION

Thus the devotee who worships Me, the all-pervading Lord of the

universe, with unflinching devotional service, gives up all aspirations

for promotion to heavenly planets or happiness in this world with

wealth, children, cows, home or anything in relationship with the body.

I take him to the other side of birth and death.

PURPORT

Unflinching devotional service, as described in these two verses,

means engaging oneself in full Krsna consciousness, or devotional

service, accepting the Supreme Lord as all in all. Since the Supreme

Lord is all-inclusive, if anyone worships Him with unflinching faith,

one has automatically achieved all other opulences and performed all

other duties. The Lord promises herein that He takes His devotee to the

other side of birth and death. Lord Caitanya, therefore, recommended

that one who aspires to go beyond birth and death should have no

material possessions. This means that one should not try to be happy in

this world or to be promoted to the heavenly world, nor should he strive

for material wealth, children, houses or cows.

How liberation is imperceptibly achieved by a pure devotee and what

the symptoms are have been explained. The situation with a conditioned

soul is different, however. If he is in the mode of goodness, he may be

preparing for promotion to the higher planets; if he is in the mode of

passion, he will remain here in a society where activity is very

prominent, and if he is in the mode of ignorance, he may be degraded to

animal life or a lower grade of human life. But for a devotee there is

no concern for this life or the next life because in any life he does

not desire material elevation. He prays to the Lord, "My dear Lord, it

does not matter where I am born, but let me be born, even as an ant, in

the house of a devotee." A pure devotee does not pray to the Lord for

liberation from this material bondage. Actually, the pure devotee never

thinks that he is fit for liberation. Considering his past life and his

mischievous activities, he thinks that he is fit to be sent to the

lowest region of hell. If in this life I am trying to become a devotee,

this does not mean that in my many past lives I was one hundred percent

pious. That is not possible. A devotee, therefore, is always conscious

of his real position. Only by his full surrender to the Lord, by the

Lord's grace, are his sufferings mitigated. As stated in Bhagavad-gita,

"Surrender unto Me, and I will give you protection from all kinds of

sinful reaction." That is His mercy. But this does not mean that one who

has surrendered to the lotus feet of the Lord has committed no misdeeds

in his past life. A devotee always prays, "For my misdeeds, may I be

born again and again, but my only prayer is that I may not forget Your

service." The devotee has such mental strength, and he prays to the

Lord: "May I be born again and again, but let me be born in the home of

Your pure devotee so that I may again get a chance to develop my

spiritual life."

A pure devotee is not anxious to elevate himself in his next birth.

He has already given up that sort of hope. In any life in which one is

born, as a householder, or even as an animal, he must have some

children, some resources or some possessions, but a devotee is not

anxious to possess anything. He is satisfied with whatever is obtainable

by God's grace. He is not at all attached to improving his social status

or the education of his children. He is not neglectful--he is dutiful--

but he does not spend too much time on the improvement of temporary

household or social life. He fully engages in the service of the Lord,

and for other affairs he simply spares as much time as absolutely

necessary (yathartham upayunjatah). Such a pure devotee does not care

what is going to happen in the next life or in this life; he does not

care even for family, children or society. He fully engages in the

service of the Lord in Krsna consciousness. It is stated in Bhagavadgita

that without the knowledge of the devotee, the Lord arranges for

His devotee to be inimediately transferred to His transcendental abode

just after leaving his body. After quitting his body he does not go into

the womb of another mother. The ordinary common living entity, after

death, is transferred to the womb of another mother, according to his

karma, or activities, to take another type of body. But as far as the

devotee is concerned, he is at once transferred to the spiritual world

in the association of the Lord. That is the Lord's special mercy.

Because He is all-powerful, the Lord can do anything and everything. He

can excuse all sinful reactions. He can immediately transfer a person to

Vaikunthaloka. That is the inconceivable power of the Supreme

personality of Godhead, who is favorably disposed to the pure devotees.

In these verses, Kapiladeva is describing the devotee's acceptance

of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as the most dear to us. If

we want to love Krsna as a son, Krsna is prepared to be our son. Arjuna

accepted Krsna as his friend, and Krsna was his best friend. Everyone

can accept Krsna in so many ways. We can love Krsna as Arjuna did, or as

mother Yasoda did. Similarly, Pariksit Maharaja simply heard about Krsna

and developed love. The first-class yogi takes Krsna as everything--

priya, suta, sakha, guru, everything. This is real bhakti. If we want a

son, Krsna is prepared to be our son. If we want a lover, He is prepared

to be our lover. If we want a friend, He is prepared to be our friend.

Whatever relationship we want in the material world, we can have with

Krsna. We all have some loving propensity, and Krsna is prepared to

fulfill this propensity. Krsna is not a person like ourselves. We occupy

one body, but Krsna is the owner of all bodies. The body is a machine

given by Krsna. In the material world, a father may give his son a car.

Similarly, Krsna gives the living entities bodies, 8,400,000 different

types of bodies. The living entity gets into the body just as a person

gets into a car, and he goes this way and that. We can drive this

machine called the body for so many years; then it becomes old, and we

have to change it for another machine. This is the process of birth and

death. We drive one car for a while, and the car is finally broken, or

it is smashed. We may have an accident or not, but eventually the car

has to go to the junk yard. Then we have to get another car.

Actually our position is that we never take birth and never die,

but why have we been put into this position of accepting these machines?

This is our real problem. What is the cause of this? We want to enjoy

this material world with its wealth and possessions. As long as we are

after material possessions, we cannot transcend the cycle of birth and

death. However, we have to give up all this and take shelter of Krsna,

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and worship Him. Nor can we worship

Him whimsically, but as He desires. If Krsna says, "I want a glass of

water," we must bring Him water. We cannot say, "Milk is better than

water. I think I will bring Him milk." This is not favorable service.

Some so-called bhaktas say, "I can worship the Lord in my own way." This

is simply imagination. The Mayavadis say that Brahman has no rupa, no

form, and they suggest that we imagine some form. This is not the case

with Krsna. Krsna is present in His original form, and He is described

in Vedic literatures. We have recounted these descriptions before. If we

want to attain a body like Brahma's, we can get it. If we want a body

like a worm in stool, we can get it. Or, if we want a body like Krsna's,

we can get that also. That is our real body of sac-cid-ananda. We can

also get a body like a demigod's and go to the heavenly planets. Or we

can remain here in the middle planetary system. Our destination is our

own choice. We are given full freedom through our activities. By pious

activities, we go to the heavenly planets, and by Krsna conscious

activities, we go to Vaikunthaloka.

We are part and parcel of Krsna, but somehow or other we have

forgotten this. In Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 20:1 17) it is said:

krsna bhuli' sei jiva anadi-bahirmukha

ataeva maya tare deya samsara-duhkha

"Forgetting Krsna, the living entity has been attracted by the

external feature from time immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy

[maya] gives him all kinds of misery in his material existence." Because

we have forgotten Krsna, Krsna has given us all these Vedas and puranas.

Krsna also comes into this material world in order to remind us of

Himself. In this Kali-yuga, people are forgetting Krsna more and more.

They are not even interested in Him, but Krsna is interested because we

are His sons. A mad son may no longer be interested in his home, in his

father or mother, yet the father never loses interest in his son. He is

anxious because his boy has left home and is suffering. Similarly,

Krsna's son leaves the spiritual sky and takes up one material body

after another and in this way travels from one planet to another in

different species of life. Therefore Krsna comes to rescue him.

Chapter Seventeen

Taking Shelter of Krsna, the Supreme Controller

TEXT 41

nanyatra mad-bhagavatah

pradhana-purusesvarat

atmanah sarva-bhutanam

bhayam tivram nivartate

TRANSLATION

The terrible fear of birth and death can never be forsaken by

anyone who resorts to any shelter other than Myself, for I am the

almighty Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original source

of all creation, and also the Supreme Soul of all souls.

PURPORT

It is indicated herein that the cycle of birth and death cannot be

stopped unless one is a pure devotee of the Supreme Lord. It is said,

harim vina naiva srtim taranti. One cannot surpass the cycle of birth

and death unless one is favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The same concept is confirmed herewith: one may take to the system of

understanding the Absolute Truth by one's own imperfect sensory

speculation, or one may try to realize the self by the mystic yoga

process; but whatever one may do, unless he comes to the point of

surrendering to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, no process can give

him liberation. One may ask if this means that those who are undergoing

so much penance and austerity by strictly following the rules and

regulations are endeavoring in vain. The answer is given by Srimad-

Bhagavatam (10.2.32): ye 'nye 'ravindaksa vimukta-maninah. Lord Brahma

and other demigods prayed to the Lord when Krsna was in the womb of

Devaki: "My dear lotus-eyed Lord, there are persons who are puffed up

with the thought that they have become liberated or one with God or have

become God, but they are unintelligent." It is stated that their

intelligence, whether high or low, is not even purified. With purified

intelligence, a living entity cannot think otherwise than to surrender.

Bhagavad-gita, therefore, confirms that purified intelligence arises in

a very wise man. Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate. After

many, many births, one who is actually advanced in intelligence

surrenders unto the Supreme Lord.

Without surrendering, one cannot achieve liberation. The Bhagavatam

says, "Those who are simply puffed up, thinking themselves liberated by

some nondevotional process, are not intelligent because they have not

yet surrendered unto You. In spite of executing all kinds of austerities

and penances or even arriving at the brink of Brahman realization, they

think that they are in the effulgence of Brahman. But actually, because

they have no transcendental activities, they fall down to material

activities." One should not be satisfied simply with knowing that he is

Brahman. He must engage himself in the service of the Supreme Brahman;

that is bhakti. The engagement of Brahman should be the service of

Parabrahman. It is said that unless one becomes Brahman, one cannot

serve Brahman. The Supreme Brahman is the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, and the living entity is also Brahman. Without realizing that

he is Brahman, spirit soul, an eternal servitor of the Lord, if one

simply thinks that he is Brahman, his realization is only theoretical.

He has to realize and at the same time engage himself in the devotional

service of the Lord; then he can exist in the Brahman status. Otherwise

he falls down.

The Bhagavatam says that because nondevotees neglect the

transcendental loving service of the lotus feet of the Personality of

Godhead, their intelligence is not pure, and therefore they fall down.

The living entity must have some activity. If he does not engage in the

activity of transcendental service, he must fall down to material

activity. As soon as one falls down to material activity, there is no

rescue from the cycle of birth and death. It is stated here by Lord

Kapila, "Without My mercy" (nanyatra mad-bhagavatah). The Lord is stated

here to be Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, indicating that

He is full of all opulences and is therefore perfectly competent to

deliver one from the cycle of birth and death. He is also called

pradhana because He is the Supreme. He is equal to everyone, but to one

who surrenders to Him He is especially favorable. It is also conkrmed in

Bhagavad-gita that the Lord is equal to everyone; no one is His enemy

and no one is His friend. But to one who surrenders unto Him, He is

especially inclined. By the grace of the Lord, simply by surrendering

unto Him one can get out of this cycle of birth and death. Otherwise, he

may go on in many, many lives and may many times attempt other processes

for liberation.

Presently we are so dull and foolish that we do not know what is

bhayam and tivram. The word tivram means "very terrible," and bhayam

means "very fearsome." We are entangled by a very terrible fear, but we

have become so dull due to the spell of maya that we do not care. At the

time of death there are many troubles, and we become very fearful.

Sometimes, when a person is dying, he falls into a coma and lies

unconscious. We do not know what kind of fearful test this person is

undergoing. He may be dreaming so many things, or he may be crying. He

cannot express what is going on. Those who are very sinful especially

die in that way. After death, one has to enter into the womb of another

mother. That is also a very fearful stage. One becomes packed in a bag,

and this bag is filled with stool and urine, and one has to remain

packed in this airtight bag for nine months.

This is a horrible situation, but we have forgotten all about it.

Therefore Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita that our real trouble is janmamrtyu--

birth and death. When the living entity is packed in the womb,

unable to move, he prays to God, "Please relieve me from this horrible

condition. If You relieve me, I shall worship You." Finally, after nine

months, the living entity emerges from the womb, and then he also

undergoes so many troubles trying to adjust to the atmosphere of a new

planet. As an infant, he cries and cries, and he is totally dependent on

his mother's mercy. Sometimes a mother cannot understand what the child

wants. Sometimes an ant may be biting the child, but the mother thinks

that the child is hungry. There are bugs, worms, mosquitoes, stool,

urine and so many things attacking the new body. These are the threefold

miseries, yet we think that we have made such progress. We are being

attacked moment after moment by one thing after another, yet people

close their eyes to birth, old age, disease and death. The atheists want

to forget these miseries, and therefore they like to think that there is

no life after death. They are like ostriches, who stick their head in

the ground when an enemy approaches.

Although the living entity in the womb promises to worship Krsna,

when he is delivered from the womb he does not fulfill his promise. As

soon as he is born and grows up, he begins to acquire a good bank

balance, a wife and children and then begins to think that his problems

are solved and that he will live very happily. Actually his problems are

not solved. He may have some temporary facilities, but the main problem

is still there. Every minute, every second, people are dying and going

to Yamaraja. Those who are living are thinking that they will not die.

They see that their friends are dying, but somehow or other they think

that they are eternal. Yudhisthira Maharaja said that this was the most

amazing thing in the world. No one thinks that he is going to die,

although everyone else is dying.

The living entity thinks that he is very happy in whatever body he

gets. He may get the body of a dog or the body of a cat, but he is happy

in his body, and he does not want to lose it. This is called illusion.

When an ant sees danger, he will run like anything. This is because he

values his body and does not want to lose it. Once Lord Indra, the King

of the heavenly planets, was cursed by Brhaspati to become a hog. He was

going about on earth enjoying his hog body when finally Lord Brahma came

and told him, "My dear Indra, you have suffered enough. Now come with me

and return to your heavenly kingdom." Indra in the form of a hog said,

"Where shall I go?" "To the heavens," Lord Brahma replied. It was then

that Indra said, "No, I have my family and children. How can I go? I am

very happy. Let me remain here." In this way, everyone is thinking that

he is very happy, although he is in a horrible and fearsome condition.

However, one who is actually intelligent can understand that he is not

actually happy, that he is suffering. It is said that ignorance is

bliss, but this is the bliss of a hog. When one actually comes to the

understanding that he is not actually happy in the material world, he

can begin to relieve his suffering.

There is no possibility of being liberated from suffering without

taking shelter at Krsna's lotus feet. People are thinking that they can

relieve suffering through abortion, by killing the child within the

womb. In this way they are committing one sin after another and becoming

more and more entangled. Consequently the aborted living entity will

have to enter into the womb of another mother in order to undergo the

birth that he is destined to take. Then, when he enters the womb of

another mother, he may again be killed, and for many years he may not be

allowed to see the light of the sun. In this Kali-yuga, people are

becoming so sinful that there is no possibility of rescue unless one

takes to Krsna consciousness. The entire human civilization is falling

into the illusory fire of maya. People fly into the fire just like

moths. When there is a beautiful fire, moths come from a long distance,

enter it and go pop, pop, pop. In this way one dies, takes birth and

suffers and dies again.

Yet Krsna and His devotees are so kind and compassionate that they

are unhappy to see all the misery of this material world. Krsna is the

father of all living entities, and He is very unhappy to see His sons

suffer. Krsna therefore comes and canvasses: "Why are you captivated by

this false, so-called happiness? Give up all of this and surrender to

Me. Come to Me, and I will relieve you. You will then live happily,

eternally and blissfully. You will not have any want, nor will you be

troubled by anything." For this reason Krsna comes. Actually He has no

other business to carry out here because His agent prakrti does

everything. Nonetheless, out of compassion Krsna comes in His original

form or in an incarnation like Kapiladeva. Krsna also sends His

representative, who says, "You rascal! Simply take shelter of Krsna and

be happy."

Krsna comes once in a day of Brahma, and His incarnations also

come, to educate foolish people who think that they are living happily

on this earth. Kapiladeva comes to propound this Sankhya philosophy,

which is unalloyed devotion to the Lord. Herein Kapiladeva says that one

is condemned to death unless he takes shelter of the Lord. There is no

other way to be saved. We are all in a very fearful situation, but we do

not understand this. Under the spell of maya, we are thinking we are

very happy, but this is not a fact. If we want relief from our dangerous

situation, we have to surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead

and revive our old connection with Him. What is that connection? We are

all His eternal servants. We should not foolishly think that we can

become one with God or equal to God. This is all the result of

rascaldom. The beginning of knowledge is to understand that we are the

eternal sons and servants of Krsna. There is no difference between a son

and a servant. The son serves the father, just as the servant serves the

master. There is affection between master and servant and son and

father. The father also serves the son in so many ways; therefore the

relationship is reciprocal. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has defined our original

svarupa, our original identity, as that of eternal servant. People are

artificially thinking, "I am independent. I am no one's servant. I have

become God. I have become Bhagavan. I am this, or I am that."

In the material world, it is not very pleasant to be a servant of

anyone. We think that being God's servant is like this because we are

materially infected. We are thinking that being a servant of God is like

being a servant of some man, but in the spiritual world the servant and

the served are the same. For instance, the guru is the servant of Krsna,

but he is accepted as Krsna.

saksad dharitvena samasta-sastrair

uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih

kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya

vande guroh sri-caranaravindam

"The spiritual master is to be honored as much as the Supreme Lord

because he is the most confidential servitor of the Lord. This is

acknowledged in all revealed scriptures and followed by all authorities.

Therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a

spiritual master, who is a bona fide representative of Sri Hari

[Krsna]." (Gurv-astaka 7) This is the verdict of all sastras. The guru

never says, "I am Krsna, I am God, I am Bhagavan." Rather, the guru

says, "I am the most humble servant of the servant of the servant of

God." He does not even say that he is the direct servant. Rather, he is

the servant one hundred times removed. Gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasadasanudasa.

We should not try to become direct servants, for that is not

possible. First of all we must become the servant of the servant. The

guru is the servant of Krsna, and if we become his servant, we become an

actual bona fide servant. That is our real position. Therefore Caitanya

Mahaprabhu prays:

ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram

patitam mam visame bhavambudhau

"O son of Nanda Maharaja, I am Your eternal servant, but somehow or

other I have fallen into this ocean of birth and death." (Siksastaka 5)

Caitanya Mahaprabhu addresses the Supreme Lord Krsna as the son of Nanda

Maharaja. Krsna is very pleased if one addresses Him as the son of

Vasudeva, Yasoda or Maharaja Nanda. Krsna likes to be named in relation

to His pure devotees. Therefore He is called Yasoda-nandana, Nandanandana,

Vasudeva-nandana, Radhika-ramana and so on. Thus Caitanya

Mahaprabhu addresses Krsna in this way. He says that although He is

Krsna's eternal servant, somehow He has fallen into the ocean of birth

and death, accepting one body after another, dying and being born again,

not only in this planet but throughout the whole universe, in many

species of life. This is the situation with conditioned living entities,

wandering from one life to another and from one planet to another for

millions upon millions of years. We do not care about this because we

say that we are brave and not afraid. We are very proud in this way, but

this is a fool's pride. It is said, Fools rush in where angels fear to

tread. In order to save ourselves from this fearful situation, we must

take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the verdict

of all the sastras, and Krsna comes for this purpose and sends His

devotees, who work day and night to propagate this Krsna consciousness

movement.

TEXT 42

mad-bhayad vati vato 'yam

suryas tapati mad-bhayat

varsatindro dahaty agnir

mrtyus carati mad-bhayat

TRANSLATION

It is because of My supremacy that the wind blows, out of fear of

Me; the sun shines out of fear of Me, and the lord of the clouds, Indra,

sends forth showers out of fear of Me. Fire burns out of fear of Me, and

death goes about taking its toll out of fear of Me.

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, says in Bhagavad-gita

that the natural laws are perfect because of His superintendence. No one

should think that nature is working automatically, without

superintendence. The Vedic literature says that the clouds are

controlled by the demigod Indra, heat is distributed by the sun-god, the

soothing moonlight is distributed by Candra and the air is blowing under

the arrangement of the demigod Vayu. But above all these demigods is the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, the chief living entity. Nityo nityanam

cetanas cetananam. The demigods are also ordinary living entities, but

due to their faithfulness--their devotional service--they have been

promoted to such posts. These different demigods, or directors, such as

Candra, Varuna and Vayu, are called adhikari-devata. The demigods are

departmental heads. The government of the Supreme Lord consists not only

of one planet or two or three; there are millions of planets and

millions of universes. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has a huge

government, and He requires assistants. The demigods are considered His

bodily limbs. These are described in Vedic literature. The sun-god,

moon-god, fire-god and air-god are working under the direction of the

Supreme Lord. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (9. 10),

mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram. The natural laws are being

conducted under His superintendence. Because He is in the background,

everything is being performed punctually and regularly.

One who has taken shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is

completely protected from all other influences. He no longer serves or

is obliged to anyone else. Of course he is not disobedient to anyone,

but his full power of thought is absorbed in the service of the Lord.

The statements by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kapila, that under

His direction the air is blowing, the fire is burning, the sun is giving

heat, etc., are not sentimental. The impersonalist may say that the

Bhagavatam devotees create and imagine someone as the Supreme

Personality of Godhead and assign qualifications to Him; but actually it

is neither imagination nor an imposition of artificial power in the name

of Godhead. In the Vedas it is said, bhisasmad vatah pavate/ bhisodeti

suryah: "Out of fear of the Supreme Lord, the wind-god and the sun-god

are acting." Bhisasmad agnis cendras ca/ mrtyur dhavati pancamah: "Agni,

Indra and Mrtyu are also acting under His direction." These are the

statements of the Vedas.

If the demigods are subject to fear, what of ordinary living

entities? Material life is not very happy because we are always fearful

of something. No one can say, "I am not afraid of anything." Everyone is

afraid of something. There is not a bird, beast, human being or living

entity alive that is not afraid of something. This is because we are

absorbed in the bodily conception, thinking, "I am this body." Since

everyone is thinking in this way, everyone fears bodily destruction.

When there was an earthquake in Los Angeles, everyone ran out their

houses screaming. Everyone was terrified, thinking, "Now death is

coming!" This is material nature. There are many events in nature that

cause fear. There are great cyclones and tornadoes. There is excessive

heat and excessive rain. There is flood and famine and war. Yet people

are thinking of being happy on this planet.

Modern scientists say that there are no demigods and that there is

no God, that all events are being carried out by nature. It is true that

nature is working, but nature, after all, is nothing but matter. Matter

cannot work without being directed by a living being. We cannot say that

matter works independently. In the ocean we always see that there are

great waves moving. Water is dull matter, but the air is pushing these

great waves and dashing them onto the earth. Scientists say that nature

works in this way and that, but nature is not independent. We receive

information from authoritative sastras that nature is moving under the

direction of the demigods. So we cannot say that these processes are

automatically taking place. Scientists admit that nature is working in a

wonderful way, but, after all, nature is not under their control. The

scientists may accept or defy Krsna, but they cannot defy the activities

of nature. Everyone is subordinate to nature. Nature, however, is

working under the direction of God; therefore everyone is subordinate to

God.

The sun, oceans, land, space and everything else in material

creation are but manifestations of Krsna's external energy. Nothing is

independent of Krsna or His energy. In Brahma-samhita (5.44) it is said

that material nature is so powerful that it can create, maintain and

destroy in itself: Srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktir eka. However,

material nature is working just like a shadow. If we place our hand

before a light, we can see its shadow move on a wall. Similarly,

material nature is working due to the touch of spirit soul. It is not

possible for an automobile to drive itself. A person, a spirit soul,

must be within to push certain buttons. Due to the touch of the spirit

soul, the machine is moving. The entire universe is similarly moving due

to the touch of God. According to the sastras, the wind is blowing, the

water is moving, the sun is shining and the earth is revolving under the

direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If the directors of the

different material elements do not work properly, they are punished by

their master, Krsna.

When Krsna was present on this earth, He saw that Lord Indra, the

lord of the heavens and of rain, was somewhat puffed up. Krsna therefore

advised His father Nanda Maharaja not to bother worshiping Indra. He

told His father, "There is no need to offer sacrifices to Indra. It is

better to worship Govardhana Hill, which is the representative of God.

The cows receive their grass and grains from Govardhana Hill; therefore

it is better to worship it." At first, Nanda Maharaja was not willing to

do this, but out of affection for Krsna, he finally agreed. When Indra

saw that Nanda Maharaja was worshiping Govardhana Hill, he became very

angry and sent vicious clouds to inundate all of Vrndavana with a flood.

Krsna then showed Indra that his power was not even competent to deal

with the little finger of His left hand. Therefore Krsna lifted

Govardhana Hill with the small finger of His left hand and used it as an

umbrella to save all the people of Vrndavana from Indra's torrents. All

of this is related in Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Thus everyone is a servant. No one can actually claim to be master.

If we simply take shelter of Krsna, we do not have to offer sacrifices

to various demigods. If we water the root of a tree, we do not have to

water the branches, twigs, flowers or fruits. If we supply food to the

stomach, we do not have to feed the eyes, hands and legs separately.

Similarly, if we worship Krsna, the source of everything, no other

worship is necessary.

Large amounts of wealth are necessary to perform sacrifices. In

former ages, tons of food were offered in a fire as a sacrifice, but

this is not possible in this age. Therefore sankirtana-yajna, the

chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, is recommended. Anyone can chant

Hare Krsna. There is no need for instruments, although Caitanya

Mahaprabhu introduced the mrdanga (drum) and karatalas (cymbals).

Otherwise, clapping in itself is sufficient. Anyone can sit down with

his family, clap hands and chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna,

Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This sankirtana

is very easy to perform. In the evening people go to restaurants and

cinemas and waste time and money at clubs and dances. They are not aware

of the fearful situation of birth, old age, disease and death. People

are carried away by the waves of material nature, and they have

submitted to its laws. We should not waste our time in this valuable

human form but should begin to solve our problems.

Eventually everything on this earth will be annihilated. At

present, three fourths of this earth is covered with water. In the

beginning, the entire earth was covered with water, but gradually the

water is drying up, and more land is emerging. Since the land has

emerged, we have calculated that this is the Asian continent, this is

North America, South America, Africa and so on. Eventually there will be

no water but only land, and this means that there will ultimately be

destruction. Since there will be no water, the heat will be scorching,

and eventually the earth will be burned to ashes. Then again there will

be rainfall, and everything will be mixed up again, and again there will

be destruction. In this way things come into existence and are

dissolved. Similarly, this body comes into existence, takes a nice form,

and then is finally finished forever. We will then have to get another

body. The body is like a bubble. It is present for one moment, then it

bursts and is gone forever.

We simply take on one bubble after another, one body after another,

and we think that we will become happy in this way because we are so

foolish. Krsna comes as a person like us, but we are such rascals that

we think He is simply a man, and this is our misfortune. If we just

surrender unto Krsna, we will no longer be subjected to the karma of

different bodies. Even if we attempt to render some devotional service

to Him and fall down, we lose nothing and gain everything. A human life

is guaranteed in our next birth. It is therefore to our benefit to

accept Krsna.

Chapter Eighteen

Devotional Service: The Final Perfection

TEXT 43

jnana-vairagya-yuktena

bhakti-yogena yoginah

ksemaya pada-mulam me

pravisanty akuto-bhayam

TRANSLATION

The yogis, equipped with transcendental knowledge and renunciation

and engaged in devotional service for their eternal benefit, take

shelter at My lotus feet, and since I am the Lord, they are thus

eligible to enter into the kingdom of Godhead without fear.

PURPORT

One who wants to be liberated from the entanglement of this

material world and go back home, back to Godhead, is actually a mystic

yogi. The words explicitly used here are yuktena bhakti-yogena. Those

yogis, or mystics, who engage in devotional service are first-class

yogis. They are described in Bhagavad-gita as constantly thinking of the

Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. These yogis are not

without knowledge and renunciation. To become a bhakti-yogi means to

automatically attain knowledge and renunciation. That is the consequent

result of bhakti-yoga. In the Bhagavatam, First Canto, Second Chapter,

it is also confirmed that one who engages in devotional service of

Vasudeva, Krsna, has complete transcendental knowledge and renunciation,

and there is no further explanation for these attainments. Ahaituki--

without reason, they come. Even if a person is completely illiterate,

the transcendental knowledge of the scriptures is revealed unto him

because of his devotion. To anyone who has full faith in the Supreme

Personality of Godhead and the spiritual master, all the import of the

Vedic literatures is revealed. One doesn't have to seek separately; the

yogis who engage in devotional service are full in knowledge and

renunciation. If there is a lack of knowledge and renunciation, it is to

be understood that one is not engaged in full devotional service. The

conclusion is that one cannot be sure of entrance into the spiritual

realm--in either the impersonal brahmajyoti effulgence of the Lord or

the Vaikuntha planets within that Brahman effulgence--unless he is

surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. The surrendered

souls are called akuto-bhaya. They are doubtless and fearless, and their

entrance into the spiritual kingdom is guaranteed.

Devotional service is most important because there is danger in

every step in this material world. At any moment, our life can be

finished. We may be walking along very nicely, but at some moment we may

slip and break our neck; therefore this planet is called Martyaloka, the

planet of death, the place where death is a certainty. Regardless of how

strong or healthy one may be, one cannot avoid death. One may exercise

on the beach daily, but one may die at any moment. There is no

guarantee. Everyone wants health and security, but actually there is no

security. There is simply a struggle for existence. People are

struggling for security, but in reality this is all foolishness. People

are always fearful because they have forgotten or rejected Krsna. We

have forgotten that we are Krsna's eternal servants, His eternal parts

and parcels, and that we have a most intimate relationship with Him. In

the material world we are situated in asat, a nonpermanent situation.

When a child has lost his iather and mother, he is always in a fearful

condition. He cries in the street, "Where is my father? Where is my

mother?" If we no longer want to be in such a fearful condition, we have

to take shelter at the lotus feet of Krsna. Krsna is begging us to come

to Him because we are all His sons. He says, "You are rotting here by

repeatedly committing sins. You are changing from one body to another,

and you are thinking that you are a human being, an American, this or

that. The next moment you may become a dog or an insect." People are

always thinking that they are secure, and this is called maya, illusion.

Knowledge, jnana, means understanding our relationship with Krsna.

A wise man asks, "What is my duty to Krsna?" Once we understand our

relationship with Krsna and our duty to Him, we naturally become

reluctant to engage in material activities. This is called vairagya,

detachment from material activities. Jnana and vairagya can be awakened

by bhakti-yoga. Bhakti means surrender unto Krsna. Without surrendering

to Krsna, we cannot understand our situation. Krsna reserves the right

of not being exposed to fools and rascals. He is simply meant for the

devotees. We cannot understand Krsna without becoming devotees.

Material life means sex. People work hard all day in order to have

a little sex at night. In the material world everyone is suffering from

the sharp arrow of Cupid. Madana, Cupid, shoots his arrow into men and

women to make them mad after one another; however, when one actually

sees Krsna, he sees Madana-mohana, the charmer of Cupid. Then one is no

longer pierced by Cupid's arrow. This means that one actually becomes

fearless. One can then enter into bhakti-yoga and renounce this material

world. According to the sastras, there is sreyas and preyas. Sreyas is

the ultimate goal. We should act in such a way that ultimately we will

become happy. However, if we want immediate happiness and disregard the

future, we want preyas. preyas is for unintelligent people and children.

A child enjoys playing all day; he does not want to be sent to school to

be educated. Education is sreyas, the ultimate goal. No one is

interested in this. The sastras instruct us to aim for sreyas and not be

captivated by preyas. The supreme sreyas is bhakti-yoga.

In the material world we are struggling for existence with the hope

that someday in the future we will be happy. Yet we are bewildered. An

animal in the desert sees a mirage, a shadow of water, and he runs after

this shadow again and again. He runs further and further, and in this

way, as he crosses the hot sands, he becomes more and more thirsty and

he finally dies. Our struggle for existence is like this. We are

thinking, "Let me go a little further. There will be water eventually.

There will eventually be happiness." Yet there is no water in the

desert. Those who are unintelligent, who are like animals, seek

happiness in the desert of the material world. This false attachment has

to be given up by the process of bhakti-yoga. This must be taken up very

seriously, not artificially. Krsna in all seriousness wants to see

whether one has finished all his material desires. When Krsna sees this,

He is very pleased. We are actually busy with dharma, artha, kama and

moksa, but when we transcend these, bhakti begins.

If we study the history of the world, we see that it is simply a

history of struggle. Mankind attempts to relieve its miserable

condition, but it simply brings about another miserable condition. As we

try to overcome one problem, another problem arises. Our determination

to renounce our association with this material world is called mukti.

Mukti means coming to the spiritual platform. Since we belong to the

spiritual atmosphere, it is impossible for us to be happy in the

material atmosphere. If a land animal is placed in water, he will simply

struggle for existence, despite being an expert swimmer. We have come

into this material world to gratify our senses, but our attempts will

never be successful. If we actually want to attain a state beyond fear,

we have to accept this bhakti-yoga process enunciated by Lord

Kapiladeva.

TEXT 44

etavan eva loke 'smin

pumsam nihsreyasodayah

tivrena bhakti-yogena

mano mayy arpitam sthiram

TRANSLATION

Therefore persons whose minds are fixed on the Lord engage in the

intensive practice of devotional service. That is the only means to

attain the final perfection of life.

PURPORT

Here the words mano mayy arpitam, which mean "the mind being fixed

on Me," are significant. One should fix his mind on the lotus feet of

Krsna or His incarnation. To be fixed steadily in that freedom is the

way of liberation. Ambarisa Maharaja is an example. He fixed his mind on

the lotus feet of the Lord, he spoke only on the pastimes of the Lord,

he smelled only the flowers and tulasi offered to the Lord, he walked

only to the temple of the Lord, he engaged his hands in cleansing the

temple, he engaged his tongue in tasting the foodstuff offered to the

Lord, and he engaged his ears in hearing the great pastimes of the Lord.

In this way all his senses were engaged. First of all, the mind should

be engaged at the lotus feet of the Lord, very steadily and naturally.

Because the mind is the master of the senses, when the mind is engaged,

all the senses are engaged. That is bhakti-yoga. Yoga means controlling

the senses. The senses cannot be controlled in the proper sense of the

term; they are always agitated. This is true also with a child--how long

can he be forced to sit down silently? It is not possible. Even Arjuna

said, cancalam hi manah krsna: "The mind is always agitated." The best

course is to fix the mind on the lotus feet of the Lord. Mano mayy

arpitam sthiram. If one seriously engages in Krsna consciousness, that

is the highest perfectional stage. All Krsna conscious activities are on

the highest perfectional level of human life.

This verse marks the conclusion of bhakti-yoga, as described by

Lord Kapiladeva to His mother. Bhakti-yoga is the business of one

advanced in jnana-vairagya, knowledge and renunciation. Sarvabhauma

Bhattacarya has explained bhakti-yoga as vairagya-vidya-nija-bhaktiyoga.

Bhakti-yoga begins when we accept Krsna's instructions:

sarva-dharman parityajya

mam ekam saranam vraja

"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me."

(Bg. 18.66)

We have to renounce all material engagements and accept the lotus

feet of Krsna. We are making one plan after another to be happy in this

material world, but this place is certified by the Supreme Personality

of Godhead as duhkhalayam asasvatam, a place of misery. This material

world is actually meant for misery, just as a prison house is meant for

punishment. Once we attain our constitutional position of brahma-bhuta,

we can enter the kingdom of God, the spiritual world. By karma-yoga we

attempt to get out of the gross body, and by jnana-yoga we attempt to

get out of the subtle body, but by bhakti-yoga we can directly transcend

both the subtle body (mind, intelligence and ego) and the gross material

body. Then we can be situated on the spiritual platform in our original,

spiritual body. As long as we are in the subtle and gross bodies, we are

suffering under the three modes of material nature. Once we enter into

the devotional service of the Lord, we are immediately situated on the

platform of brahma-bhuta. Aham brahmasmi ("I am Brahman") is simply

theoretical knowledge, but when one actually renders devotional service,

one is situated in practical knowledge. Then one is no longer on the

material platform but on the Brahman platform.

Prahlada Maharaja rendered the best service to his father,

Hiranyakasipu, by having him killed by Lord Nrsimhadeva. Superficially

it appeared that Prahlada Maharaja did not help his father, but this was

not the case. In the sastras it is said that if a person, even though a

demon, is killed by God, he is immediately liberated. prahlada Maharaja

was thinking, "My father is so sinful and so much opposed to God

consciousness that he might not be liberated." After Lord Nrsimha killed

Hiranyakasipu, Prahlada Maharaja told the Lord, "My dear Lord, may I ask

one thing from You? My father was a great atheist, and he committed many

offenses at Your lotus feet. Now You have killed him. I request that he

be excused and be given liberation." Actually Hiranyakasipu was already

liberated, yet his affectionate son was anxious to know whether he was

liberated or not. It is confirmed by the Lord that not only does a

Vaisnava's father, but everyone for twenty-one generations before a

Vaisnava receives liberation. Thus by serving the Lord, one renders the

best service to his family, because twenty-one generations are liberated

if one becomes a pure Vaisnava.

The yogi's real business is to focus his mind on Krsna. That is the

real yoga system. There are many gymnastics performed by yogis, but all

this is recommended for those who are overly concerned with the body.

Rendering service to Krsna twenty-four hours daily is called bhaktiyoga,

and that is real samadhi. People are working hard day and night to

enjoy some results. A person in bhakti-yoga works hard day and night but

offers the results to Krsna. There is a great difference between a

bhakti-yogi and an ordinary karmi. Ordinary karmis cannot understand

that the bhaktas are on the transcendental platform.

As we have stated before, there are innumerable forms of God--Rama,

Nrsimha, Varaha, Krsna, Kapiladeva, Balarama and so on. Sometimes

foolish people ask, "You are worshiping Krsna. Why don't you worship

Rama?" Actually there is no difference between Krsna and Rama, but

everyone has his preference. For instance, Hanuman was particularly

devoted to Lord Ramacandra. The gopis are exclusively devoted to Lord

Krsna. This does not make any real difference. The Lord appears in

different forms, but in all cases He is the Lord. Once Krsna left the

gopis and changed into His four-handed Visnu form. The gopis went out

searching for Krsna, and when they saw the four-handed Visnu form, they

did not offer much respect. They simply wanted to see Krsna. Actually

there is no difference between Krsna and Visnu, but every devotee has a

particular inclination. In the Vaisnava-sampradaya, some devotees

worship Radha-Krsna, and others worship Sita-Rama and Laksmi-Narayana.

Some also worship Rukmini-Krsna. All of these are the same, and all of

the devotees are Vaisnavas. Whether one chants Hare Krsna or Hare Rama,

it is not very important. Worship of the demigods, however, is not

recommended. In any case, bhakti-yoga begins with hearing--sravanam

kirtanam. After one has heard from the right source and is convinced,

one will automatically perform kirtana. Kirtana means glorification.

Kirtana is preaching, glorifying and speaking about tlie Lord. Pariksit

Maharaja attained perfection simply by listening to Srimad-Bhagavatam.

This is sravanam kirtanam. Pariksit Maharaja was listening, and Sukadeva

Gosvami was performing kirtana by describing the glories of the Lord.

Prthu Maharaja simply worshiped the Lord, and Laksmidevi massaged

Visnu's lotus feet. Arjuna made friends with the Lord, and Hanuman

carried out the orders of Lord Ramacandra. Bali Maharaja offered

everything he had to the Lord in the form of Vamanadeva, and after he

had offered all his possessions, he offered his body. There are many

examples, but at the present moment, if we simply hear about Krsna, that

is sufficient. God has given us ears, and we need only go to a realized

soul and hear about Krsna from him. This is the process recommended for

this age because people are very fallen and are uneducated.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends that we search out a devotee

regardless of our position. There is no need to change our position; it

is better to remain where we are and simply hear about Krsna. The Krsna

consciousness movement is meant to give everybody an opportunity to hear

about Krsna. Krsna is within everyone's heart, and as soon as He sees

that one is interested in Him, He helps. This is the beginning of

bhakti.

Even if we do not understand this philosophy, we will be purified

if we hear what Krsna says. This is the whole process of harisankirtana.

One doesn't even have to understand what this Hare Krsna is.

One only has to hear to be purified. Unless one is purified, one cannot

understand God. There are many contaminations within the heart, and the

people in this age are engaged in many sinful activities--illicit sex,

meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. The whole world is revolving

about these things, yet despite this we have to spread this Krsna

consciousness movement. There may be many obstacles, but they can all be

transcended by Krsna's mercy. We only have to be determined in our

devotion. The rest will follow. This is the essence of Lord Kapila's

instructions to His mother.