tad etan me vijanihi

yathaham manda-dhir hare

sukham buddhyeya durbodham

yosa bhavad-anugrahat

TRANSLATION

My dear son, Kapila, after all, I am a woman. It is very difficult

for me to understand the Absolute Truth because my intelligence is not

very great. But if You will kindly explain it to me, even though I am

not very intelligent, I can understand it and thereby feel

transcendental happiness.

PURPORT

Knowledge of the Absolute Truth is not very easily understood by

ordinary, less intelligent men; but if the spiritual master is kind

enough to the disciple, however unintelligent he may be, then by the

divine grace of the spiritual master everything is revealed. Visvanatha

Cakravarti Thakura therefore says, yasya prasadad, by the mercy of the

spiritual master, the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

bhagavat-prasadah, is revealed. Devahuti requested her great son to be

merciful toward her because she was a less intelligent woman and also

His mother. By the grace of Kapiladeva it was quite possible for her to

understand the Absolute Truth, even though the subject matter is very

difficult for ordinary persons, especially women.

In this verse Devahuti shows us the process for understanding

transcendental subject matters. It is not by challenge but by

submission. The entire bhakti process is a process of submission. That

is also Caitanya Mahaprabhu's teaching:

trnad api sunicena

taror iva sahisnuna

amanina manadena

kirtaniyah sada harih

(Siksastaka 3)

If one is interested in advancing in chanting Hare Krsna, Caitanya

Mahaprabhu advises that one be humbler than the grass and more tolerant

than the trees. One should not be very proud of his intelligence but

should give all respect to others. In this way, one can chant Hare Krsna

offenselessly. Although Devahuti was the mother of Kapiladeva, she

presented herself as a humble woman. It was not that she considered

herself superior because she was His mother.

We have to please the spirtiual master by service, and the entire

bhakti process depends on the attitude of service. The transcendental

nature of Krsna is not possible to understand with our blunt material

senses. Krsna's name, form, qualities and pastimes are all divya,

divine. Our present material senses have to be purified by engagement in

the Lord's service, and our first engagement begins with the tongue. It

is with the tongue that we can chant the transcendental names of the

Lord. This is not very difficult, and this path is open to everyone--

even women, vaisyas and sudras. After describing all the faults of Kaliyuga,

Srimad-Bhagavatam ( 12.3.51) states:

kaler dosa-nidhe rajann

asti hy eko mahan gunah

kirtanad eva krsnasya

mukta-sangah param vrajet

"There is one special advantage about this age of Kali-yuga, and

that is that people can attain liberation and return home, back to

Godhead, simply by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra." Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu said:

harer nama harer nama

harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva

nasty eva gatir anyatha

"Chant Hare Krsna, chant Hare Krsna. There is no other way, no

other way at all in Kali-yuga.'

We should try to avoid the ten offenses in chanting the holy name,

but anyone who chants Hare Krsna sincerely is purified. Ceto-darpanamarjanam

bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam (Siksastaka 1). This is the

easiest process by which the mirror of the mind can be cleansed. If

Krsna sees that someone is sincerely chanting Hare Krsna, He will help.

He is within everyone, and He can understand whether one is sincere or

not. Krsna helps a sincere devotee internally and externally. Internally

He helps as paramatma by giving intelligence from within. Dadami buddhiyogam

tam. Externally He helps as His representative, the spiritual

master. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu says: guru-krsna-prasade paya

bhakti-lata-bija. "By the grace of Krsna, one gets a bona fide guru, and

by the grace of the guru, one gets Krsna." (Cc. Madhya 19.151) Thus the

sastras have given us a very easy way to appreciate our transcendental

life. That is the Krsna consciousness movement.

Devahuti has submissively accepted her son as her guru. She wants

to understand Krsna perfectly, by the grace of Kapiladeva. It is very

important to receive the causeless mercy of Krsna and the spiritual

master. By Krsna's mercy, we receive a spiritual master, and by the

spiritual master's mercy, we receive Krsna.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravati Thakura has greatly stressed the mercy

of the guru, and it is an actual fact that if we satisfy the guru by our

service, he will give us his blessings. This is a very great

opportunity, for the guru is the confidential servant of Krsna. The guru

never claims that he is Krsna, although he is worshiped as Krsna: saksad

dharitvena samasta-sastrair uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih (Gurvastaka

7).

Al1 the sastras describe the guru as being on an equal basis with

Krsna, for he is the representative of Krsna. Therefore he is worshiped

as Krsna. Being the most confidential servant of Krsna, the guru is very

dear to Krsna; therefore if he recommends someone to Krsna, Krsna

accepts the person. The guru is the confidential servant of Krsna

because he canvasses from door to door, saying, "Please become Krsna

conscious and surrender unto Krsna." Krsna tells Arjuna that such a

person is very dear to Him. The bona fide guru tells people to surrender

not unto him but unto Krsna. Thus one has to surrender unto Krsna

through the via media of the guru, not directly. This is the process.

The guru does not accept respect from his disciple for his personal self

but conveys this respect to Krsna. If we cannot receive the mercy of the

guru, Krsna is very difficult to approach directly.

It is stated in Bhagavad-gita that knowledge of Krsna is received

through the parampara, the disciplic succession. Evam parampara-praptam.

The guru offers the same respects to his guru, and his guru offers

respects to his, and so it goes all the way to Krsna. Thus the mercy of

Krsna comes down through the parampara system, and the respect offered

to Krsna is offered up through the parampara system. One has to learn to

approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead in this way. Thus if we want

to approach God, we have to take shelter of the guru in the beginning.

Devahuti is begging the mercy of Kapiladeva in order to understand the

way to approach Krsna. She approaches Him very humbly saying, "My dear

Kapila, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but I am a woman,

and my intelligence is not very sharp. Nonetheless, I want to understand

these sublime transcendental subjects from You. It is possible by Your

mercy."

The process of approaching and understanding the Supreme

Personality of Godhead was also discussed between Ramananda Raya and

Caitanya Mahaprabhu. First, Ramananda Raya explained the process in

terms of varnasrama-dharma. He said first of all that human life is

meant for approaching Lord Visnu through the rules and regulations

governing varnasrama-dharma. Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied that it is very

difficult in this age to execute the rules and regulations of

varnasrama-dharma. It is very difficult to be a brahmana in this age,

and it is practically impossible to revive the old varnasrama-dharma

culture. Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore said that this method is not very

practical. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has been called by Srila Rupa Gosvami

"the most munificent avatara" because He distributes love of Krsna free

of charge. First of all, we cannot even understand Krsna; therefore

there is no question of loving Him. If we do not understand someone, how

can we love him? The love is very far away, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu is

so kind that He distributes krsna-prema, love of Krsna, to whomever will

take it. In His life, Caitanya Mahaprabhu cried for Krsna and showed how

one should be mad after Him.

yugayitam nimesena

caksusa pravrsayitam

sunyayitam jagat sarvam

govinda-virahena me

"O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to

be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like

torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your

absence." (Siksastaka 7)

Without Krsna, one should see everything as vacant. This is

Radharani's frame of mind, but this is not possible for an ordinary

living being. It was possible for Caitanya Mahaprabhu and a few

devotees, His immediate disciples like the six Gosvamis, who were

following in His footsteps. They worshiped Krsna in separation and

sought Krsna everywhere.

he radhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-suno kutah

sri-govardhana-kalpa-padapa-tale kalindi-vanye kutah

ghosantav iti sarvato vraja-pure khedair maha-vihvalau

vande rupa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri jiva-gopalakau

"I offer my respectful obeisances to the six Gosvamis, namely Sri

Rupa Gosvami, Sri Sanatana Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Sri

Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Sri Jiva Gosvami and Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami,

who were chanting very loudly everywhere in Vrndavana, shouting, `Queen

of Vrndavana, Radharani! O Lalita! O son of Nanda Maharaja! Where are

you all now? Are you just on the hill of Govardhana, or are you under

the trees on the bank of the Yamuna? Where are you?' These were their

moods in executing Krsna consciousness." (Sad-gosvamy-astaka 8)

The Gosvamis never said, "We have seen Krsna." This is the

recommended process--worship in separation. We should awaken our lost

Krsna consciousness in this way and become mad after Krsna in our

separation from Him. This is called krsna-prema, and this love was

distributed by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We should not try to understand

Krsna by our small knowledge. Since we are imperfect, how can we

speculate on Krsna? There are many people like jnanis and theosophists

who try to understand the Absolute Truth by speculation, but this is not

possible.

athapi te deva padambuja-dvaya

prasada-lesanugrhita eva hi

janati tattvam bhagavan-mahimno

na canya eko pi ciram vicinvan

"My Lord, if one is favored by even a slight trace of the mercy of

Your lotus feet, he can understand the greatness of Your personality.

But those who speculate in order to understand the Supreme Personality

of Godhead are unable to know You, even though they continue to study

the Vedas for many years." (SB. 10.14.29) Even if one speculates for

many years, he cannot understand Krsna. One has to receive the mercy of

Krsna through the spiritual master, and this is the path recommended by

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sthane-sthitah sruti-gatah tanu-van-manobhih

(SB. 10.14.3). Another name for Krsna is Ajita. No one can conquer

Krsna, but Krsna can be conquered by His devotee. One should be

submissive and say, "Krsna, I am very poor. I have no means to

understand You. Please be merciful upon me. Please allow me to

understand You and surrender." This is wanted. Krsna is very merciful,

and when He sees that someone has surrendered, He will help from within.

Chapter Fourteen

Bhakti as Ultimate Liberation

TEXT 31

maitreya uvaca

viditvartham kapilo matur ittham

jata-sneho yatra tanvabhijatah

tattvamnayam yat pravadanti sankhyam

provaca vai bhakti-vitana-yogam

TRANSLATION

Sri Maitreya said: After hearing His mother's statement, Kapila

could understand her purpose, and He became compassionate toward her

because of having been born from her body. He then described the Sankhya

system of philosophy, which is a combination of devotional service and

mystic realization, as received by disciplic succession.

PURPORT

The philosophy propounded by the atheist Kapila is an analysis of

the material elements and is very much appreciated by Western

philosophers. The sankhya-yoga explained by Lord Kapiladeva, the son of

Devahuti, is practically unknown in the West. The sankhya-yoga

propounded herein is actually bhakti. It is stated here that the proper

way to receive this knowledge is by disciplic succession, not by

philosophical speculation. Speculation is an improper way to understand

the Absolute Truth. Generally Western philosophers try to understand the

Absolute Truth by the ascending process of mental speculation. This is

the process of inductive logic. The other process is the descending

process, and this is the parampara process. By this method, knowledge

descends from a higher source.

In Bhagavad-gita, many yoga systems are explained, but the bhaktiyoga

system is considered highest of all. Ultimately, all yogas end in

bhakti-yoga. The ultimate conclusion of jnana-yoga and hatha-yoga is

bhakti-yoga. In the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, the hatha-yoga

system of meditation is explained, and Arjuna, who was highly elevated,

said that he could not concentrate his mind in this way. If the hathayoga

system was so difficult five thousand years ago for a person so

elevated that he was Krsna's friend, how is it possible today? Arjuna

frankly said that this system of yoga was impossible to execute because

the mind is as difficult to control as the wind.

The hatha-yoga system is basically meant for those who are overly

attached to the body; otherwise, the preferred yoga is sankhya-yoga or

bhakti-yoga. When Arjuna told Sri Krsna that the hatha-yoga system was

too difficult to execute, the Lord pacified him by saying that the

firstclass yogi is one "who is always thinking of Me." (Bg. 6.47) Arjuna

did not know anything but Krsna, and Arjuna requested that Krsna be

present on his side in the battle. When Duryodhana approached Krsna with

Arjuna and requested Him to take sides, Krsna said, "I have eighteen

military divisions. These divisions will take one side, and I personally

will take another. However, I will not fight in this battle." At first

Arjuna thought it wise to take the eighteen divisions with their many

thousands of elephants and horses, but then he considered that if he

simply had Krsna on his side, that would be sufficient. He would not

need ordinary soldiers. Duryodhana, on the other hand, decided to take

Krsna's soldiers. Thus in order to pacify Arjuna, Krsna told him not to

worry, although he could not execute the astanga-yoga system.

"The first-class yogi is he who always thinks of Me." One should

always remember that Krsna is within his heart and think of Him. This is

the proper system of meditation. If we always chant the Hare Krsna mahamantra,

we will always remember Krsna, and immediately the form of Krsna

will be awakened within our hearts. The process of always thinking of

Krsna is the process of Krsna consciousness. The first-class yogi is he

who is always conscious of Krsna. One can be conscious of Krsna by

hearing about Him submissively.

We have to accept Krsna through the disciplic succession. There are

four sampradayas, disciplic successions. One comes from Lord Brahma (the

Brahma-sampradaya), and another comes from Laksmi, the goddess of

fortune, (the Sri-sampradaya). There are also the Kumara-sampradaya and

the Rudra-sampradaya. At the present moment, the Brahma sampradaya is

represented by the Madhva-sampradaya, and we belong to the Madhvagaudiya-

sampradaya. Our original sampradaya stems from Madhvacarya. In

that sampradaya there was Madhavendra Puri, and Madhavendra Puri's

disciple was Sri Isvara Puri. Sri Isvara Puri's disciple was Lord

Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Thus we are coming in the disciplic succession from

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and therefore our sampradaya is called the

Madhva-gaudiya-sampradaya. It is not that we have manufactured a

sampradaya; rather, our sampradaya stems from Lord Brahma. There is also

the Ramanuja-sampradaya, which comes from the Sri-sampradaya, and there

is the Visnusvami-sampradaya, which comes from the Rudra-sampradaya. The

Nimbaditya-sampradaya comes from the Kumara-sampradaya. If we do not

belong to any sampradaya, our conclusion is fruitless. It is not that

one should think, "I am a big scholar, and I can interpret Bhagavad-gita

in my own way. Al1 these sampradayas are useless." We cannot manufacture

our own comments. There are many commentaries made in this way, and they

are all useless. They have no effect. We have to accept the philosophy

as it was contemplated by Lord Brahma, Narada, Madhvacarya, Madhavendra

Puri and Isvara Puri. These great acaryas are beyond the imperfections

of so-called scholars. Mundane scientists and philosophers use the words

"perhaps" and "maybe" because they cannot arrive at a proper conclusion.

They are simply speculating, and mental speculation cannot be perfect.

Bhakti-yoga is at the top of the stairs of all the yogas. The first

step is karma-yoga, and then jnana-yoga and dhyana-yoga, but the

ultimate is bhakti-yoga. Everyone is trying to reach the ultimate

Absolute Truth, but the other yogas end in partial understanding. The

understanding derived from bhakti-yoga is complete, and even if

partially executed, it has potency. It is also recommended by the great

mahajanas like Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and Kapiladeva. Since the path of

perfection is very difficult to understand, the sastras recommend that

we follow the mahajanas, who are thus described in Srimad-Bhagavatam

(6.3.20):

svayambhur naradah sambhuh

kumarah kapilo manuh

prahlado janako bhismo

balir vaiyasakir vayam

Another name for Lord Brahma is Svayambhu because he was born from

a lotus flower emanating from the navel of Lord Visnu. Since he was not

born of a father and mother, he is therefore called Svayambhu. Narada

Muni is also a mahajana, and Sambhu is Lord Siva. Kumara refers to the

four Kumaras--Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana and Sanat-kumara. There are

twelve authorities following the Sankhya philosophy, or bhakti-yoga, and

these include Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Kapiladeva, Manu, Bhismadeva,

Janaka Maharaja, Sukadeva Gosvami and prahlada Maharaja. If we simply

accept one of these mahajanas, we will be successful in understanding

the Absolute Truth, but if we try to understand the Absolute Truth by

logic and argument, we will ultimately be frustrated. One philosopher

may be a better logician than another, and one philosophical argument

may counteract another, but this process goes on and on. It is simply a

useless waste of time. Even if we approach Vedic scriptures, there are

difficulties. There are so many scriptures--Yajur Veda, Rg Veda, Sama

Veda, Atharva Veda, the Upanisads, the puranas, Brahma-sutra, Ramayana,

Mahabharata and so forth. Different people read them and arrive at

different conclusions. There are also the Bible and the Koran. According

to so many different men, there are so many interpretations. One

philosopher defeats another philosopher on the basis of scripture. It is

even stated that one cannot become a rsi, a philosopher, unless one

propounds a different system of philosophy. Nasav rsir yasya matam na

bhinnam. Thus the truth of spiritual life is very complicated and

difficult to understand. The conclusion is that one should follow one of

these twelve mahajanas in order to be successful. Krsna is the original

mahajana, and He instructed Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma is also a mahajana.

Actually, Krsna instructed everyone in Bhagavad-gita, and thus everyone

has learned from Krsna.

In Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.1.1) it is also stated: tene brahma hrda ya

adi-kavaye. Thus Krsna gives His personal instructions just as

Kapiladeva gave His personal instructions. There is no contradiction

between Krsna's philosophy in Bhagavad-gita and Kapiladeva's philosophy.

We need only receive the transcendental knowledge through the mahajanas,

and the results will be beneficial. Kapiladeva explained this Sankhya

philosophy to His mother, and although He had a natural affection for

His mother, we should not think that Devahuti was an ordinary woman. She

was very submissive, and when Kapiladeva saw this, He became very

compassionate. He saw that she was eager to know about the Absolute

Truth, and He considered that, after all, He had received His body from

her. Therefore He concluded that He should try to give her the ultimate

conclusion of philosophical knowledge, which is this Sankhya philosophy.

TEXT 32

sri-bhagavan uvaca

devanam guna-linganam

anusravika karmanam

sattva evaika-manaso

vrttih svabhaviki tu ya

animitta bhagavati

bhaktih siddher gariyasi

TRANSLATION

Lord Kapila said: The senses are symbolic representations of the

demigods, and their natural inclination is to work under the direction

of the Vedic injunctions. As the senses are representatives of the

demigods, so the mind is the representative of the Supreme Personality

of Godhead. The mind's natural duty is to serve. When that spirit of

service is engaged in devotion to the Personality of Godhead, without

any motive, that is far better than salvation.

PURPORT

The senses of the living entity are always engaged in some

occupation, either in activities prescribed in the Vedic injunctions or

in material activities. The natural inclination of the senses is to work

for something, and the mind is the center of the senses. The mind is

actually the leader of the senses; therefore it is called sattva.

Similarly, the leader of all the demigods who are engaged in the

activities of this material world--in managing the sun, moon, etc.--is

the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

It is stated in the Vedic literature that the demigods are digerent

limbs of the universal body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Our

senses are also controlled by different demigods; our senses are

representations of various demigods, and the mind is the representation

of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The senses, led by the mind, act

under the influence of the demigods. When the service is ultimately

aimed at the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the senses are in their

natural position. The Lord is called Hrsikesa, for He is actually the

proprietor and ultimate master of the senses. The senses and the mind

are naturally inclined to work, but when they are materially

contaminated, they work for some material benefit or for the service of

the demigods, although actually they are meant to serve the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. The senses are called hrsika, and the Supreme

Personality of Godhead is called Hrsikesa. Indirectly, all the senses

are naturally inclined to serve the Supreme Lord. That is called bhakti.

Kapiladeva said that in devotional service the senses, without

desire for material profit or other selfish motives, are engaged in the

service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That spirit of service is

far better than siddhi, salvation. Bhakti, the inclination to serve the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, is in a transcendental position far

superior to mukti, or liberation. Thus bhakti is the stage after

liberation. Unless one is liberated, one cannot engage the senses in the

service of the Lord. When the senses are engaged either in material

activities of sense gratification or in the activities of the Vedic

injunctions, there is some motive, but when the same senses are engaged

in the service of the Lord without ulterior motive, that is called

animitta and is the natural inclination of the mind. The conclusion is

that when the mind, undeviated either by Vedic injunctions or by

material activities, is fully engaged in Krsna consciousness, or

devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one is

situated far above mere liberation from material entanglement.

Bhakti, devotional service, is transcendental even to mukti,

liberation. Generally people are concerned with dharma, artha, kama and

moksa. In the beginning, there is dharma (religion), then artha

(economic development), kama (sense gratification), then moksa (merging

into the Supreme One). However, bhakti is above all these. Mukti is not

very important for a bhakta. In the words of Bilvamangala Thakura:

muktih svayam mukulitanjali sevate 'smat. "Mukti herself is standing

with folded hands, waiting to serve the devotee." (Krsna-karnamrta 107)

This is the experience of Bilvamangala Thakura, who was a very rich

South Indian brahmana. Due to bad association, Bilvamangala Thakura

became a very staunch prostitute hunter, and he spent all his money on a

prostitute named Cintamani. One night, during a terrible rainstorm,

Bilvamangala went to see Cintamani, but the prostitute was thinking,

"Surely tonight Bilvamangala will not come. This is a terrible storm."

Nonetheless, Bilvamangala came, despite all difficulties. Somehow he

managed to cross the raging river, and when he saw the gates of

Cintamani's house closed, he somehow managed to jump over them. Despite

all the dangers, he reached Cintamani's house, and the prostitute, being

very astonished, said, "How is it you have come tonight? Oh, you are so

attracted to this skin! If you just had this much attraction for Krsna,

it would certainly be to your benefit." Bilvamangala then immediately

left the prostitute's house and went to Vrndavana. The fact was that in

his previous life he had executed devotional service up to bhava-bhakti.

Thus the prostitute Cintamani actually became his guru. While in

Vrndavana, Bilvamangala Thakura wrote a book named Krsna-kamamrta, which

has been recommended by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In that book,

Bilvamangala Thakura writes: "If we have devotion fixed on You, My Lord

Bhagavan, then we can easily see Your divine form as kaisora-murti, a

young boy."

Another name for Krsna is Kaisora. The word kaisora refers to the

age before marriage--that is, it refers to a boy between the ages of

eleven and sixteen. Sri Krsna is always kaisora-murti. By devotional

service, one can see the kaisora-murti of Krsna very easily.

When Bilvamangala Thakura was going to Vrndavana, he was still

attracted to women. One night he stayed at the house of a very rich

merchant, and the merchant's wife told her husband that Bilvamangala

Thakura was attracted to her. She asked her husband what to do, and the

merchant simply said, "Serve him." Finally Bilvamangala Thakura came to

his senses, and he thought, "These eyes are my enemies." When the

beautiful woman approached him, Bilvamangala Thakura said, "Mother,

please give me the pins out of your hair. I am very mad after the beauty

of women. So let me pluck out my eyes." In this way, he blinded himself.

Although he could not see, in Vrndavana he was supplied milk by Krsna

Himself. Thus he personally realized Krsna through bhakti and wrote of

his personal experience. He wrote, "Mukti is not a very important thing.

She is always at my service with folded hands, saying, `My dear sir,

what can I do for you?' " Thus a devotee is not very anxious for mukti

because he is already liberated. If a man has a million dollars, why

should he hanker after ten rupees?

Bhakti should be animitta, without motive. Actually Krsna can

fulfill all of our wishes without difficulty because He is almighty and

full of all opulences. If we want material happiness from Krsna, it is

certainly not difficult for Him to grant it. He can also give us mukti,

liberation, but it is foolishness to ask anything from Krsna except

bhakti. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura used to say that asking

God for mukti or anything else other than bhakti is like going to a rich

man and asking for ashes. There is another story, about an old woman who

was carrying a bundle of dry wood through the forest. Somehow or other

the bundle, which was very heavy, fell to the ground. The old woman

became very disturbed, and thought, "Who will help put this bundle back

on my head?" She then began to call on God, saying, "God help me."

Suddenly God appeared and said, "What do you want?" She said, "please

help me put this bundle back on my head." So this is our foolishness.

When God comes to give us some benediction, we simply ask Him to load us

down again with all these material bundles. We ask Him for more material

things, for a happy family, for a large amount of money, for a new car

or whatever.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches us that we should only beg God for His

service life after life. This is the actual meaning of the Hare Krsna

maha-mantra. When we are chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna,

Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare Hare, we are actually

addressing God and His energy, Hara. Hara is Krsna's internal potency,

Srimati Radharani or Laksmi. Jaya radhe! This is daivi prakrti, and the

devotees take shelter of the daivi prakrti, Srimati Radharani. Thus the

Vaisnavas worship Radha-Krsna, Laksmi-Narayana and Sita-Rama. In the

beginning of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra we first address the internal

energy of Krsna, Hare. Thus we say, "O Radharani! O Hare! O energy of

the Lord!" When we address someone in this way, he usually says, "Yes,

what do you want?" The answer is, "Please engage me in Your service."

This should be our prayer. We should not say, "O energy of the Lord, O

Krsna, please give me money. Please give me a beautiful wife. Please

give me many followers. Please give me some prestigious position. Please

give me the presidency." These are all material hankerings, which should

be avoided. Lord Buddha advocated that we give up all material desires.

It is not possible to become desireless, but it is possible to give up

material desires. It is the nature of the living entity to desire; it is

not possible to be desireless. If one is desireless, he is dead.

Desirelessness means purifying one's desire, and desire is purified when

we only desire the service of Krsna.

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches:

na dhanam na janam na sundarim

kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye

mama janmani janmanisvare

bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

"O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I

desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only

want Your causeless devotional service birth after birth." (Siksastaka

4) He requests Lord Krsna's service birth after birth. It is not that He

is seeking salvation; rather, He simply wants to serve Krsna one life

after another. The devotees are not anxious to merge into the existence

of the Supreme. The Buddhist philosophy advocates nirvana, the negation

of all material desires. Buddha does not offer more than this.

Sankaracarya gives a little more, saying that we should become

desireless in this material world and then enter into the Brahman

effulgence. This is called brahma-nirvana. According to the Vaisnava

philosophy, however, we should negate material desires and be situated

on the Brahman platform, but in addition we should engage in the

devotional service of the Lord. This is called bhakti. Mayavadi

philosophers cannot understand this, but Krsna says that this devotional

service is on the transcendental platform.

The Sankhya philosophy of the atheist Kapila, which is a material

philosophy, is simply the study of the twenty-four elements. However,

the real Sankhya philosophy, propounded by Kapiladeva, is transcendental

to the twenty-four elements and material activity. Thus in this Sankhya

philosophy, which is actually bhakti-yoga, there is no desire for

material benefits. On the material platform, a person works for his own

personal sense gratification or for some expanded sense gratification.

One may work for himself, family, wife, children, society, community,

nation or humanity at large. This is simply expanded sense

gratification. Whether one steals for himself, family, community or

whatever, the fact remains that he is a thief. It is said that when

Alexander the Great arrested a common thief, the thief told Alexander,

"What is the difference between us? I am a small plunderer, and you are

a great plunderer." Being very sensible, Alexander released him, saying,

"Yes, there is no difference." Regardless whether the sense

gratification is for oneself, one's family, one's nation or whatever, it

is, after all, sense gratification. The quality changes only when we

work for the sense gratification of Krsna.

It is noteworthy that Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam never

states that krsna uvaca ("Krsna says") or kapiladeva uvaca ("Kapiladeva

says"). Rather, it states bhagavan uvaca ("the Supreme Personality of

Godhead says"). This means that the version is perfect. If we receive

knowledge from an ordinary man, there will be many defects. An ordinary

person is subject to illusion, and he also has the tendency to cheat.

Although an ordinary person may be a very advanced scholar, he does not

possess perfect knowledge. Perfection is something totally different

from what we find in the material world. Perfection means that there is

no mistake, no illusion, no cheating, no imperfection. Therefore it is

stated bhagavan uvaca, for Bhagavan is all-perfect. We should therefore

take knowledge from Bhagavan or from one who speaks according to the

version of Bhagavan.

The Krsna consciousness movement is based on this principle. We are

not presenting anything that we ourselves could manufacture. Whatever we

manufacture is sure to be defective or deficient. What is the value of

my philosophy? What is the value of my thought? Generally, people say,

"In my opinion," thinking that "my opinion" really means something.

People do not think, "I am simply a rascal." People value their opinion,

thinking it something very big. Everyone in this material world has

imperfect senses; therefore whatever knowledge has been gathered through

the senses is necessarily imperfect. As we have stressed over and over,

we have to receive knowledge from the disciplic succession. Knowledge

has to be received from Bhagavan, the perfect one. If we simply follow

this system, we can become a guru for the whole world. The devotee

never thinks that he is a great bhakta. Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, the

author of Caitanya-caritamrta, has stated, purisera kita haite muni se

laghistha: "I am lower than the worms in stool." (Adi5.205) This is the

Vaisnava conception. A Vaisnava is by nature very humble. He never says,

"I am the Supreme; I have become God." Krsna says, "I am God. Worship

Me." The Vaisnava says, "Krsna is God. Worship Krsna." It is not

difficult to become a guru, provided that we repeat what Krsna says.

Whatever Krsna states in Bhagavad-gita is dharma. Bharma is one. It

cannot be different. Dharma means abiding by the orders of God. However,

if we do not know God or His orders, we can only set about manufacturing

some rubbish and fighting among ourselves. This is not dharma but

philosophical speculation. All of this speculation and manufactured

dharma has been kicked out of Srimad-Bhagavatam because it is all

cheating. Bhagavata-dharma is not cheating, for it is related to the

Supreme Lord. Bhakti can be applied only to Bhagavan, and if there is no

Bhagavan, there is no bhakti. If Bhagavan is zero, where is bhakti?

Bhakti is the transaction between Bhagavan and the bhakta. Bhagavan is

there, and the bhaktas are there, and the bhaktas address Bhagavan, feed

Bhagavan, chant Bhagavan's names, invoke people to hear about Bhagavan,

publish books about Bhagavan and worship Bhagavan, and in this way they

are constantly absorbed in Bhagavan. This is the process of bhakti.

TEXT 33

jarayaty asu ya kosam

nigirnam analo yatha

TRANSLATION

Bhakti, devotional service, dissolves the subtle body of the living

entity without separate effort, just as fire in the stomach digests all

that we eat.

PURPORT

Bhakti is in a far higher position than mukti because a person's

endeavor for liberation from the material encagement is automatically

realized in devotional service. If the digestive power is sufficient,

then whatever we eat will be digested by the fire in the stomach.

Similarly, a devotee doesn't have to try separately to attain

liberation. That very service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is

the process of liberation because to engage in the service of the Lord

is to liberate oneself from material entanglement.

For a devotee, liberation is no problem at all. Liberation takes

place without separate endeavor. Bhakti, therefore, is far better than

mukti or the impersonalist position. The impersonalists undergo severe

penances and austerities to attain mukti, but the bhakta, simply by

engaging in the bhakti process, especially in chanting Hare Krsna, Hare

Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare

Hare, immediately develops control over the tongue by chanting, and

accepting the remnants of foodstuff offered to the Personality of

Godhead. As soon as the tongue is controlled, all other senses are

controlled automatically. Sense control is the perfection of the yoga

principle, and one's liberation begins immediately as soon as he engages

in the service of the Lord. It is confirmed by Kapiladeva that bhakti,

or devotional service, is gariyasi, more glorious than siddhi,

liberation.

It is stated in this verse that bhakti dissolves the subtle body.

The spirit soul has two coverings--subtle and gross. The gross body is

composed of earth, water, fire, air and ether. The subtle body is

composed of mind, intelligence and ego. Of the eight material elements,

five are gross and three are subtle. We cannot see the subtle, and the

soul is even more subtle. Anyone with eyes can see the body, but not

everyone can perceive the soul, the actual person. When we understand

that the soul, or the person, has left the body, we cry, "Oh, my friend

has left." We can perceive that the body is there, but something is

obviously missing. Thus one's friend is actually different from the

body. At the present moment when we say, "This is my friend," we refer

to the body, but that is simply the vision of an animal. Animals think,

"This is my dog friend, and this is my mother dog." They cannot see

beyond the gross body. Similarly, we cannot see the soul, and if we

cannot see the minute soul, how can we hope to see God with these blunt

eyes? We cannot actually see one another. How, then, can we hope to see

God? It is stated: atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih.

"Material senses cannot appreciate Krsna's holy name, form, qualities

and pastimes."

Our present senses are incapable of seeing God. Generally, at death

we can understand that something has gone. We understand that what we

were seeing was not actually our friend but a lump of matter. This is

knowledge. However, one who understands before death that the body is

simply a lump of matter is called a wise man. He sees the soul through

the eyes of knowledge. Those who are on the gross platform, who are like

animals, can see neither the soul nor Bhagavan. The karmis, the gross

fruitive workers, do not understand the distinction between the body and

the soul. Out of many millions of karmis, there may be one jnani, one

wise man who can understand. The jnani knows that he is not the body,

and out of many millions of jnanis, one may be actually liberated. The

Mayavadis think that because they are spirit soul, they are one with the

Supreme. Being equal in quality does not mean that one is the Supreme

Soul. Because the Mayavadis think that they have become one with

Narayana, they address one another as Narayana. They say, "You are

Narayana, I am Narayana, everyone is Narayana." From this misconception,

the idea of daridra-narayana (poor Narayana) arises. The devotees fully

engaged in the service of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord do not

think in this way. They think, "If I am one with the Supreme, how is it

I have fallen into this condition?" They know that a drop of seawater is

one in quality with the vast ocean, but they also know that a drop of

water is never equal to the ocean itself.

Sometimes the Mayavadis worship Lord Visnu, but they do not

actually believe in the form of Lord Visnu. They consider His image to

be some imaginary form to utilize as a means for self-realization.

Mayavadis say that the Absolute Truth has no rupa, no form, but it is

stated: isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah. "Krsna, who is

known as Govinda, is the supreme controller. He has an eternal,

blissful, spiritual body."

The word vigraha refers to the supreme form, but the Mayavadis do

not understand this. There are also many so-called Vaisnavas who worship

Lord Visnu with an aim of becoming one with the Supreme. They sometimes

give the example of a drop of water merging into the great ocean itself.

This is simply nonsense. The ocean is a combination of countless

molecules of water, and it is impossible for one molecule to merge into

the totality. The sunshine is a combination of countless trillions of

small shining particles, and each particle has its individual identity

as an atom. Because we do not have the eyes to see the small atomic

divisions, we think that they are one, but actually they are not

homogeneous. Similarly, although we are very small particles of the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, we all have different identities. In

Bhagavad-gita (2.12) Sri Krsna says:

na tv evaham jatu nasam

na tvam neme janadhipah

na caiva na bhavisyamah

sarve vayam atah param

"Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all

these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be."

Krsna never says that He, Arjuna, and all the soldiers shall

eventually become one. Rather, He says that everyone will retain his own

individuality.

Those who have complete knowledge never think that in the future

they will become one with the Supreme. They simply want to remain in

their constitutional position as part and parcel of Krsna. Although we

are now covered by the material body, the material body can be easily

dissolved by the process of bhakti-yoga. If we are strong in bhaktiyoga,

we actually no longer have a material body but a spiritual one. We

are free.

When we are baffled, we want to become the husband of goddess

Laksmi. The husband of goddess Laksmi is Narayana, God Himself. In this

material world, we are hankering after Laksmi, the goddess of fortune,

but we are frustrated in our attempts. We think, "Now let me become the

husband of Laksmi." Actually, no one can enjoy Laksmi but Narayana. Even

exalted demigods like Lord Brahma and Lord Siva are inferior to Lord

Narayana, but we are so foolish that we are thinking of assuming

Narayana's position, or making Narayana into daridra-narayana, the poor

man in the street. The sastras never equalize Narayana with anyone, not

even Lord Brahma or Lord Siva, what to speak of foolish rascals.

One may ask why Narayana has created us, why it is we are part and

parcel of Narayana. Eko bahu-syam. Why has Narayana become many? He has

created us for enjoyment. Anandamayo 'bhyasat. He has created us in the

same way a gentleman accepts a wife. If one takes on a wife, he

will beget children. A man takes on the responsibility of maintaining a

wife and children because he thinks that through them he will enjoy

life. In the material world we see that during the evening a man tries

to enjoy life with his wife, children and friends. Therefore he takes on

so many responsibilities. This is supposed to be ananda, bliss, but

because it takes place in the material world, the ananda is converted

into something distasteful. However, we can enjoy this ananda when we

are with our Supreme Father, Krsna. We are all children of the Supreme

Father, and in Bhagavad-gita (14.4) Krsna claims all species of life as

His children:

sarva-yonisu kaunteya

murtayah sambhavanti yah

tasam brahma mahad yonir

aham bija-pradah pita

"It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kunti,

are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the

seed-giving father."

The Supreme Father, Sri Krsna, has created us for His enjoyment,

not to create distress. Although we are Krsna's children, we have given

up our Supreme Father because we wish to enjoy ourselves independently.

Consequently we are suffering. If a rich man's son gives up his home to

try to enjoy life independently, he simply suffers. It is to our benefit

to return home, back to Godhead, to enjoy ourselves with our original

father, Krsna. This will give us happiness. Krsna is full of all

opulence. He possesses in totality wealth, strength, beauty, fame,

knowledge and renunciation. He possesses everything in unlimited

quantity. If we return to our original father, we can enjoy ourselves

with Him unlimitedly. It is not that we can enjoy ourselves independent

of Krsna. Nor can we say that to enjoy ourselves we have to become one

with Krsna. In the material world, our father gives us our birth, and we

are an entity separate from him. If we are suffering, do we say, "My

dear father, I am suffering. Will you please once again make me one with

you?" Is this a very good proposal? A father says, "I have begotten you

separately to enjoy yourself. You remain separate, and I remain

separate, and in this way we will enjoy. Now you are asking to become

one with me. What is this nonsense?"

The Mayavadis want to become one with the Supreme because they are

suffering in the material world. Krsna has created us to enjoy ourselves

in His company, but due to our desire for independent enjoyment, we are

not doing that. Consequently we are suffering in this material world,

and because we are suffering we are thinking of becoming one with our

father. It is maya's business to try to build up the living entity, to

puff him up, and maya's last snare is to make the living entity think

that he can become one with God. Mayavadis think that becoming one with

the Supreme is the highest perfection, but this is not perfection

because our original constitutional position is to enjoy the company of

Krsna. Friends sit together in a room and enjoy one another's company.

What enjoyment can one have by himself? Variety is the mother of

enjoyment, and real enjoyment is being in Krsna's company. Therefore

devotees never desire to become one with the Supreme. It is Caitanya

Mahaprabhu who says:

mama janmani janmanisvare

bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

"My dear Lord, I do not want to put an end to the process of birth

and death. I am not anxious for mukti. Let Me go ahead and take one

birth after another. It doesn't matter. Simply let Me engage in Your

service birth after birth." (Siksastaka 4) This is real ananda. Unless

we are fully qualified devotees, we cannot enter into the Vaikuntha

planets. We have to live outside in the brahmajyoti. If we desire this,

Krsna will give us the opportunity. After all, Krsna is everything. He

is brahmajyoti and Paramatma also. If we want to become one with the

Supreme, we will be allowed to live outside the Vaikuntha planets, in

the brahmajyoti. However, that position is not eternal. As we have

explained before, we cannot live eternally in the brahmajyoti because we

want variety. Without variety, there is no enjoyment.

In all conditions, the pure devotee is liberated. He may engage in

some occupation or business, but he is always thinking of how to serve

Krsna, and in this way he is automatically liberated. It is not that he

thinks of becoming one with the Supreme and attaining liberation.

Rather, his liberation lies in his personal relationship with the

Supreme Lord Himself.

Chapter Fifteen

Meditation on the Lord's Transcendental Form

TEXT 34

naikatmatam me sprhayanti kecin

mat-pada-sevabhirata mad-ihah

ye 'nyonyato bhagavatah prasajya

sabhajayante mama paurusani

TRANSLATION

A pure devotee who is attached to the activities of devotional

service and who always engages in the service of My lotus feet never

desires to become one with Me. Such a devotee, who is unflinchingly

engaged, always glorifies My pastimes and activities.

PURPORT

There are five kinds of liberation stated in the scriptures. One is

to become one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or to forsake

one's individuality and merge into the Supreme Spirit. This is called

ekatmatam. A devotee never accepts this kind of liberation. The other

four liberations are: to be promoted to the same planet as God

(Vaikuntha), to associate personally with the Supreme Lord, to achieve

the same opulence as the Lord and to attain His same bodily features. A

pure devotee, as Kapila Muni will explain, does not aspire for any of

the qve liberations. He especially despises the attempt to become one

with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sri Prabodhananda Sarasvati, a

great devotee of Lord Caitanya, said, kaivalyam narakayate: "The

happiness of becoming one with the Supreme Lord, which is the aspiration

of the Mayavadis, is considered hellish." That oneness is not for pure

devotees.

There are many so-called devotees who think that in the conditioned

state we may worship the Personality of Godhead but that ultimately

there is no personality; they say that since the Absolute Truth is

impersonal, one can imagine a personal form of the impersonal Absolute

Truth for the time being, but as soon as one becomes liberated, the

worship stops. That is the theory put forward by Mayavada philosophy.

Actually the impersonalists do not merge into the existence of the

Supreme person but into His personal bodily luster, which is called

brahmajyoti. Although that brahmajyoti is not different from His

personal body, that sort of oneness (merging into the bodily luster of

the Personality of Godhead) is not accepted by a pure devotee because

the devotees engage in greater pleasure than merging into His existence.

The greatest pleasure is to serve the Lord. Devotees are always thinking

about how to serve Him; they are always designing ways and means to

serve the Supreme Lord, even in the midst of the greatest material

obstacles.

Mayavadis accept the description of the pastimes of the Lord as

myths, but actually they are not; they are historical facts. pure

devotees accept the narrations of the pastimes of the Lord as Absolute

Truth. The words mama paurusani (My glorious activities) are

significant. Devotees are very much attached to glorifying the

activities of the Lord, whereas Mayavadis cannot even think of these

activities. According to them, the Absolute Truth is impersonal, but

without personal existence, how can there be activity? Because

impersonalists take the activities mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam,

Bhagavad-gita and other Vedic literatures as fictitious stories, they

interpret them most mischievously. They have no idea of the Personality

of Godhead. They unnecessarily poke their noses into the scripture and

interpret it in a deceptive way in order to mislead the innocent public.

The activities of Mayavada philosophy are very dangerous to the public,

and therefore Lord Caitanya warned His disciples never to hear from any

Mayavadi about any scripture. Mayavadis will spoil the entire process,

and the person hearing them will never be able to come to the path of

devotional service to attain the highest perfection. He only may be able

to do so after a very long time.

It is clearly stated by Kapila Muni that bhakti activities are

transcendental to mukti. This is called pancama-purusartha. Generally,

people engage in the activities of religion, economic development and

sense gratification, and ultimately they work with an idea that they are

going to become one with the Supreme Lord (mukti). But bhakti is

transcendental to all these activities. The Srimad-Bhagavatam,

therefore, begins by stating that all kinds of pretentious religiosity

is completely eradicated from the Bhagavatam. Ritualistic activities for

economic development and sense gratification and, after frustration in

sense gratification, the desire to become one with the Supreme Lord, are

all completely rejected in the Bhagavatam. The Bhagavatam is especially

meant for the pure devotees, who always engage in Krsna consciousness,

in the activities of the Lord, and always glorify these transcendental

activities. Pure devotees worship the transcendental activities of the

Lord in Vrndavana, Dvaraka and Mathura as they are narrated in the

Srimad-Bhagavatam and other puranas. The Mayavadi philosophers

completely reject them as myths, but actually they are great and

worshipable subjects and thus are relishable only for devotees. That is

the difference between a Mayavadi and a pure devotee as they view

scripture.

Actually Vedic scripture is krsna-katha, topics about Krsna, and

krsna-katha is not a subject matter for a debate club. It is meant for

the devotees. Nondevotees simply waste their time reading Bhagavad-gita

and Srimad-Bhagavatam, and we have often mentioned that so-called

scholars, politicians and philosophers simply give misleading

commentaries when they try to interpret Bhagavad-gita. Srila

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura used to say that they are like people

trying to lick at a bottle of honey that is sealed closed. If one does

not know how to taste honey, one begins licking at the bottle, but for

one to actually taste the honey, the bottle must be opened, and the key

to its opening is the devotee. Therefore it is said:

satam prasangan mama virya-samvido

bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah

taj josanad asv apavarga-vartmani

sraddha ratir bhaktir anukramisyati

"In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes

and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing

and satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating such knowledge

one gradually becomes advanced on the path of liberation, and thereafter

he is freed, and his attraction becomes fixed. Then real devotion and

devotional service begin." (SB. 3.25.25)

God is eternal, and His instructions and followers are also

eternal. In Bhagavad-gita (4.1) Krsna tells Arjuna that millions of

years ago He spoke Bhagavad-gita to the sun-god. Bhagavad-gita was

spoken to Arjuna five thousand years ago, and if we read it today we

will still find that it is fresh. Bhagavad-gita and Krsna are never old.

Although Krsna is the most ancient one, the oldest of all, He always

remains like a young boy in His teens. He never appears older than

twenty. Krsna's words are absolute, as well as His form, qualities and

activities. They are always fresh and new. If they were not, how could

the devotees glorify them day after day with greater enthusiasm? The

more one glorifies Krsna, the more enthusiastic one becomes in

glorifying, glorifying, glorifying. This is the meaning of spiritual. In

the material world, if we repeat something once, twice, thrice or four

times, it finally becomes hackneyed and disgusting. However, this Hare

Krsna maha-mantra can be chanted twentyfour hours daily, and one will

still feel fresh and enthusiastic. It is not a material sound like the

sounds we hear on the radio. It is a spiritual sound that comes from the

spiritual world. Even in the material world we can release a sound from

one place, and it can be heard thousands of miles away. A spiritual

sound can be released from many trillions of miles away, and it can be

heard, provided that one has the machine to capture it. That machine is

bhagavat-prema. Those who have developed love of Godhead can hear it.

Arjuna was neither a Vedantist nor a sannyasi, nor was he

particularly advanced in spiritual understanding. However, he heard

Bhagavad-gita because he was a bhakta. Atheistic scholars and

politicians cannot understand the transcendental vibration. They can

only lick at the honey bottle. Fools and rascals eat and drink

everything without restriction, thinking that they are doing so in the

name of religion. There are many so-called svamis and yogis who tell

their disciples that they can do anything and still advance spiritually,

but this is not possible. One has to become a pure brahmana, control the

mind and senses and discuss the Supreme Personality of Godhead among

sadhus. This may sound very difficult, but one can become a sat, a

saintly person, within a second. If one is eager, one can immediately

surrender to Krsna.

When one approaches Krsna, one should say, "My dear Krsna, I have

forgotten You. Now I am fully surrendered unto You. You may kill me as

You like or, if You like, You can give me protection." When Prahlada was

asked by the Supreme Lord what benediction he desired, Prahlada Maharaja

replied, "My dear Lord, why should I ask for some benediction simply

because I have suffered for You? You are supremely powerful, and

whatever I get, I get from You. I was born into a family of demons and

was inclined toward material enjoyment. I have seen my powerful father,

who was feared even by the demigods, annihilated within a second. Why

should I ask for anything? Please engage me in the service of Your

servant. This is all I want. I do not want anything else." In this way a

devotee never asks for anything material from the Supreme Personality of

Godhead. The devotees are simply satisfied in glorifying the Lord. This

is the way of bhakti-yoga.

Krsna descends to please His devotees and destroy the demons. From

the very beginning of Krsna's birth, demons were present. Kamsa advised

his constables, "As soon as Krsna is born, tell me. I shall immediately

kill Him." He was always thinking of Krsna in this way, negatively.

Similarly, we will find so many so-called religionists whose only

purpose is to kill Krsna. Somehow or other they try to take Krsna out of

Bhagavad-gita. They will comment on Bhagavad-gita, but in their

commentaries there will never be mention of Krsna. They will never say

that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that He should be

worshiped. This means that they are asuras, demons, although they may

present themselves as big scholars. Somehow or other they try to evade

krsna-bhakti, and their entire propaganda is aimed toward this.