Dedicate Your Life To Krishna

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"Dedicate Your Life To Krishna"

Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.9

Mayapur, March 1, 1977

 

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Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.) "Translation: Prahlada Maharaja

continued: One may possess wealth, an aristocratic family, beauty, austerity,

education, sensory expertise, luster, influence, physical strength, diligence,

intelligence and mystic yogic power, but I think that even by all these

qualifications one cannot satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However,

one can satisfy the Lord simply by devotional service. Gajendra did this, and

thus the Lord was satisfied with him."

 

Prabhupada:

 

manye dhanabhijana-rupa-tapah-srutaujas-

tejah-prabhava-bala-paurusa-buddhi-yogah

naradhanaya hi bhavanti parasya pumso

bhaktya tutosa bhagavan gaja-yutha-paya

[sB 7.9.9]

 

So these are material assets. (aside:) It's not working? (bumps

microphone) Hm? Wealth, dhana... Nobody can captivate Krsna by all these

material possessions. These are material possessions: money, then manpower,

beauty, education, austerity, mystic power and so on, so on. There are so many

things. They are not capable of approaching the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Krsna personally says, bhaktya mam abhijanati [bg. 18.55]. He doesn't say all

these material possessions, that "If one is very rich man, he can have My

favor." No. Krsna is not a poor man like me, that if somebody gives me some

money, I become benefited. He's self-sufficient, atmarama. So there is no need

of any help from anyone else. He's fully satisfied, atmarama. Only bhakti, love,

that is required.

 

Bhakti means to serve Krsna. That is without any purpose. Ahaituky

apratihata. That bhakti, unalloyed... Anyabhilasita-sunyam

jnana-karmady-anavrtam [Cc. Madhya 19.167]. Everywhere this is the statement of

the sastra, that bhakti should be unalloyed.

 

anyabhilasita-sunyam

jnana karmady-anavrtam

anukulyena krsnanu-

silanam bhaktir uttama

[brs. 1.1.11]

 

sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam

tat paratvena nirmalam

hrsikena hrsikesa

sevanam bhaktir ucyate

[Cc. Madhya 19.170]

 

There are so many other definition. And if we have bhakti, love for Krsna,

then we don't require huge amount of money or strength or education or

austerity. Nothing of the sort. Krsna says, patram puspam phalam toyam yo me

bhaktya prayacchati [bg. 9.26]. He doesn't require anything from us, but He

wants everyone that because he is part and parcel of Krsna, He wants to see that

everyone is obedient to Him, everyone loves Him. That is His aspiration. Just

like the father is very rich man. He doesn't require any help from his son, but

he aspires that his son should be obedient and lover. That is his satisfaction.

That is the whole situation. Krsna has created... Eko bahu syama. We are

vibhinnamsa-mamaivamso jiva-bhutah [bg. 15.7] -- part and parcel of Krsna, every

one of us. So everyone has got some duty. Krsna has created us, expecting

something to be done by us for satisfaction of Krsna. That is bhakti. So that,

our opportunity, is obtained in this human form of life. We should not waste our

valuable time in any other occupation or business. Simply inquire and be ready

how to serve Krsna. Anukulyena krsnanusila Anukula. Not your satisfaction but

Krsna's satisfaction. That is called anukula, favorable. Anukulyena

krsnanusilanam [Cc. Madhya 19.167]. And anusilanam means activity, not that "In

trance I am in meditation." That is also Something is better than nothing, but

real devotional service is activity. One must be active, and the best activity

is to preach the glory of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the best

activity. Na ca tasmad manusyesu kascid me priya-krttamah.

 

So our this movement is based on practical activity. Whatever talent you

have got, whatever little strength you have got, education you have got... You

haven't got to learn anything. Whatever you have got, in whatever position you

are, you can serve Krsna. Not that you have to learn something first and then

you can serve. No. The service itself is learning. The more you try to render

service, the more you become advanced how to become experienced servant. We

don't require any extra intelligence. Otherwise... The example is

gaja-yutha-paya. The elephant, the king of the elephants, he satisfied. He's an

animal. He's not a brahmana. He's not a Vedantist. Maybe very big, fatty animal,

but after all, he's animal. Hanuman was animal. There are many such things.

Jatayu was a bird. So how they satisfied? The Jatayu fought with Ravana.

Yesterday you saw. Ravana was kidnapping Sita devi, and Jatayu, the bird, he was

going, flying. Ravana knew how to fly without machine. He was very, very

materially powerful. So the Jatayu attacked him on the sky: "Who are you? You

are taking away Sita. I shall fight you." So Ravana was very powerful. He was

defeated, Jatayu, but he fought. That is his service. Never mind defeated.

Similarly, we have to fight. Those who are opposing Krsna consciousness

movement, we have to fight with them to our best capacity. Never mind if we are

defeated. That is also service. Krsna sees the service. Defeated or victorious,

depend on Krsna. But fighting must be there. Karmany evadhikaras te ma phalesu

kadacana. That is the meaning. You have to work for Krsna sincerely,

intelligently, and victory or defeat, it doesn't matter. Just like Jatayu was

defeated fighting with Ravana. His wings were cut off. Ravana was very strong.

And Lord Ramacandra, He did his last funeral ceremonies because he was a

devotee. This is the process, not that we have to learn something extra.

Whatever capacity we have got, let us decide to render service to the Lord. It

doesn't require that you must be very rich or very beautiful, very bodily

strong. Nothing of the sort. Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje

ahaituky apratihata [sB 1.2.6]. In any condition, your devotional service should

not be stopped. That should be the principle, that we are not going to stop, any

circumstance. And Krsna is prepared even to accept a little flower, little

water. Patram puspam phalam toyam [bg. 9.26]. He doesn't say, "Give me very

luxurious and palatable dishes. Then I'll..." He'll be satisfied. No. The real

necessity is bhakti. Patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati. This

is real necessity -- bhaktya. Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas ca... [bg.

18.55].

 

Therefore we have to develop our bhakti, love for Krsna. Prema pumartho

mahan, Caitanya Mahaprabhu has advised. People are after dharma artha-kama moksa

[sB 4.8.41, Cc. Adi 1.90], but Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "No, even if you become

liberated, moksa, that is not the qualification to get favor of Krsna." Prema

pumartho mahan. Pancama-purusartha. People are trying to be very religious.

That is good. Then economic. Dharma artha. Artha means economically very rich,

opulent. Then kama, very expert in sense enjoyment. And then mukti. This is

general demand. But Bhagavata says, "No, these things are not qualification."

Dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra [sB 1.1.2]. Sridhara Swami has said that mukti is

also another cheating. Why mukti? Krsna does not demand that "Unless you are

mukta, liberated, you cannot serve." No. You can serve in any condition.

Ahaituky apratihata. Not that because first of all we have to become

liberated... Because as soon as you begin bhakti, you are already liberated. The

platform is so great that a bhakta, without any other ultra-motive, he's already

liberated. Brahma-bhuyaya kalpate.

 

mam ca ya 'vyabhicareni

bhakti-yogena yah sevate

sa gunan samatityaitan

brahma-bhuyaya kalpate

[bg. 14.26]

 

Immediately.

 

sarva dharman parityajya

mam ekam saranam vraja

aham tvam sarva-papebhyo

moksayisyami...

[bg. 18.66]

 

If Krsna takes charge of vanquishing all your reaction of sinful life,

that means immediately you are mukta, you are liberated.

 

Liberation means... We are entangled in this material world because we are

creating one after another entanglement. Nunam pramattah kurute vikarma [sB

5.5.4]. Because we are in such a position that we have to act obversely, not

properly, even if you do not desire... Even if you are very careful not to kill

even an ant, still, unperceptibly, imperceptibly, you, while walking, you kill

so many ants. And don't think that you are not sinful for that purpose. You

become sinful. Especially those who are nondevotees, they must be responsible

for killing so many small creatures while walking or while... There is waterpot,

you have seen. So many small animals are there. Even by moving the waterpot, you

kill so many living entities. While igniting fire in the oven, there are so many

living entities. You kill them. So consciously, unconsciously, we are in such a

position in this material world that we have to commit sinful activities even if

we are very, very careful. You have seen the Jains, they are after nonviolence.

You'll find they keep a cloth like this so that the small insects may not enter

the mouth. But these are artificial. You cannot check. In the air there are so

many living entities. In the water there are so many living entities. We drink

water. You cannot check it. It is not possible. But if you keep yourself fixed

up in devotional service, then you are not bound.

 

Yajnarthe karmano 'nyatra loko 'yam karma-bandhanah [bg. 3.9]. If your

life is dedicated for yajna, for serving Krsna, then the inevitable sinful

activities which we commit without any knowledge, we are not responsible. Manye

mithe krtam papam punyaya eva kalpate (?). So our life should be dedicated

simply for Krsna consciousness. Then we are safe. Otherwise we must be entangled

with so many reaction of our activities and bound up in the repetition of birth

and death. Mam aprapya nivartante mrtyu-samsara-vartmani [bg. 9.3].

 

nunam pramattah kurute vikarma

yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti

na sadhu manye yato atmano 'yam

asann api klesada asa dehah

[sB 5.5.4]

 

The safest position is let us always be engaged in Krsna consciousness.

Then we make spiritually advance and safe from the reaction of sinful life.

 

So Prahlada Maharaja thought it that, although he was born in a family,

asura family, ugra, ugra-jatam, still, if he decides to serve Krsna, Lord

Nrsimhadeva, with bhakti, following the footprints of gaja-yutha paya, the king

of elephant... He was animal. You know the story, that he was attacked by a

crocodile in the water. So there was struggle for existence between the two, and

after all, the crocodile is the animal in the water. He had great strength. And

the elephant, although he's also very big, powerful animal, but he was not a

animal of the water. So he was very helpless. So at last, he began to chant the

holy name of the Lord and prayed, so he was saved. He was saved, and because the

crocodile caught up the leg of the elephant, he was also saved because he was

Vaisnava. And this animal, crocodile, he was under the feet of a Vaisnava, so he

was also saved. (laughter) This is the story, you know. So therefore, chadiya

vaisnava seva. He indirectly gave service to the Vaisnava, and he also became

delivered.

 

So bhakti is so nice thing that very easily you can get favor of the

Supreme Personality. And if Krsna is pleased upon you, then what remains?

Everything you get. Everything you get. Yasmin vijnate sarvam eva vijnatam

bhavanti. Easiest way to please Krsna... You don't require much money, much

education, and nothing of the sort. Simply you require your heart: "O Krsna, You

are my Lord. You are my master eternally. I am Your servant eternally. Let me be

engaged in Your service." That is Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare

Hare/ (devotees chant) Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This is the

meaning of Hare Krsna mantra: "O Krsna, O energy of Krsna, I am Your servant.

Somehow or other I have now fallen in this material condition. Kindly pick me up

and engage me in service." Ayi nanda-tanuja patitam kinkaram mam visame bhavam

budhau. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's teaching us. Bhavam budhau. This material

world is just like a great ocean, bhava. Bhava means repetition of birth and

death, and ambu means ambudhau, means in the sea, in the ocean. So we are

struggling hard for existence in this ocean. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, ayi

nanda tanuja patitam kinkaram mam: "I am Your servant eternal. Somehow or other

I have fallen in this ocean and struggling. Pick me up." Ayi nanda-tanuja

patitam kinkaram mam visame bhavambudhau krpaya. By Your causeless mercy...

 

ayi nanda-tanuja patitam kinkaram mam visame bhavambudhau

krpaya tava pada-pankaja-sthita-dhuli sadrssam vicintaya

[Cc. Antya 20.32, Siksastaka 5]

 

This is bhakti-marga, devotional service, to become very humble, meek,

always pray to Krsna, "Kindly consider me as one of the particle of the dust of

the lotus feet of Your Lordship," this very simple thing. Man-mana. In this way

think of Krsna, become His devotee, offer obeisances and whatever patram puspam,

little flower, water, you can provide, offer to Krsna. In this way live very

peacefully and be happy.

 

Thank you very much. (end)