Satisfying the Lord Through Devotional Service
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada · Mayapur · 1977
Chapters
Spiritual qualifications versus material assets
: **Pradyumna: Translation = "Prahlāda Mahārāja 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."**
SB 7.9.9मन्ये धनाभिजनरूपतपःश्रुतौजसतेजःप्रभावबलपौरुषबुद्धियोगाः ।नाराधनाय हि भवन्ति परस्य पुंसोभक्त्या तुतोष भगवान्गजयूथपाय ॥९॥manye dhanābhijana-rūpa-tapaḥ-śrutaujas-tejaḥ-prabhāva-bala-pauruṣa-buddhi-yogāḥnārādhanāya hi bhavanti parasya puṁsobhaktyā tutoṣa bhagavān gaja-yūtha-pāyaPrahlāda Mahārāja 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.
Prabhupāda: So these are material assets. [aside:] It's not working? [bumps microphone] Hmm? Wealth, dhana... Nobody can captivate Kṛṣṇa 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.
Kṛṣṇa personally says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti He doesn't say all these material possessions, that "If one is very rich man, he can have My favor." No.
Kṛṣṇa is not a poor man like me, that if somebody gives me some money, I become benefited. He's self-sufficient, ātmārāma. So there is no need of any help from anyone else.
He's fully satisfied, ātmārāma. Only bhakti, love, that is required.
Nature of unalloyed devotional service
Bhakti means to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is without any purpose. Ahaituky apratihatā. That bhakti, unalloyed. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
Everywhere this is the statement of the śāstra, that bhakti should be unalloyed. NBS 1.1.11anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁjñāna karmādy-anāvṛtamānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā
CC Madhya 19.170সর্বোপাধিবিনির্মুক্তং তৎপরত্বেন নির্মলম্ ।হৃষীকেণ হৃষীকেশ-সেবনং ভক্তিরুচ্যতে ॥ ১৭০ ॥sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁtat-paratvena nirmalamhṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate“ ‘Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one’s senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.’
There are so many other definition. And if we have bhakti, love for Kṛṣṇa, then we don't require huge amount of money or strength or education or austerity. Nothing of the sort.
Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
He doesn't require anything from us, but He wants everyone that because he is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, 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. Kṛṣṇa has created...
Eko bahu śyāma. We are vibhinnāṁśa—mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ —part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, every one of us. So everyone has got some duty. Kṛṣṇa has created us, expecting something to be done by us for satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa.
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 Kṛṣṇa.
Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīla. Ānukūla. Not your satisfaction but Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction. That is called ānukūla, favorable. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam
And anuśīlanam means activity, not that "In trance I am in meditation." That is also...
Serving the lord through preaching and action
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 tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me prīya-kṛttamaḥ 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 Kṛṣṇa. 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-yūtha-pāya. The elephant, the king of the elephants, he satisfied. He's an animal. He's not a brāhmaṇa. He's not a Vedantist. Maybe very big, fatty animal, [chuckles] but after all, he's animal.
Hanuman was animal. There are many such things. Jaṭāyu was a bird. So how they satisfied? The Jaṭāyu fought with Rāvaṇa. Yesterday you saw. Rāvaṇa was kidnapping Sītā devi, and Jaṭāyu, the bird, he was going, flying.
Rāvaṇa knew how to fly without machine. He was very, very materially powerful. So the Jaṭāyu attacked him on the sky = "Who are you? You are taking away Sītā. I shall fight you." So Rāvaṇa was very powerful.
He was defeated, Jaṭāyu, but he fought. That is his service. Never mind defeated. Similarly, we have to fight. Those who are opposing Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we have to fight with them to our best capacity.
Never mind if we are defeated. That is also service. Kṛṣṇa sees the service. Defeated or victorious, depend on Kṛṣṇa. But fighting must be there. Karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana That is the meaning.
You have to work for Kṛṣṇa sincerely, intelligently, and victory or defeat, it doesn't matter. Just like Jaṭāyu was defeated fighting with Rāvaṇa. His wings were cut off. Rāvaṇa was very strong.
And Lord Rāmacandra, 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.
Attaining liberation through divine love
It doesn't require that you must be very rich or very beautiful, very bodily strong. Nothing of the sort. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ahaituky apratihatā
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 Kṛṣṇa is prepared even to accept a little flower, little water.
Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ He doesn't say, "Give Me very luxurious and palatable dishes. Then I'll...," He'll be satisfied. No.
The real necessity is bhakti. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. This is real necessity—bhaktyā. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś ca... Therefore we have to develop our bhakti, love for Kṛṣṇa.
Premā pumartho mahān, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised.
People are after dharma artha-kama mokṣa, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "No, even if you become liberated, mokṣa, that is not the qualification to get favor of Kṛṣṇa." Prema pumartho mahan. Pancama-puruṣartha. People are trying to be very religious.
That is good. Then economic. Dharma artha. Artha means economically very rich, opulent. Then kāma, very expert in sense enjoyment. And then mukti. This is general demand.
But Bhāgavata says, "No, these things are not qualification." Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra Śrīdhara Swāmī has said that mukti is also another cheating.
Why mukti? Kṛṣṇa does not demand that "Unless you are mukta, liberated, you cannot serve." No. You can serve in any condition. Ahaituky apratihatā. 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-bhūyāya sa kalpate.
BG 14.26मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण भक्तियोगेन सेवते ।स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान्ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते ॥२६॥māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇabhakti-yogena sevatesa guṇān samatītyaitānbrahma-bhūyāya kalpateOne who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.
Immediately. BG 18.66सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज ।अहं त्वां सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः ॥६६॥sarva-dharmān parityajyamām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vrajaahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyomokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥAbandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.
So if Kṛṣṇa takes charge of vanquishing all your reaction of sinful life, that means immediately you are mukta, you are liberated.
Protection from material sins and dangers
Liberation means... We are entangled in this material world because we are creating one after another entanglement. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma
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.
Yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ If your life is dedicated for yajña, for serving Kṛṣṇa, then the inevitable sinful activities which we commit without any knowledge, we are not responsible.
Manye mithe kṛtaṁ pāpaṁ puṇyaya eva kalpate. So our life should be dedicated simply for Kṛṣṇa 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. Mām aprāpya nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani
SB 5.5.4नूनं प्रमत्तः कुरुते विकर्मयदिन्द्रियप्रीतय आपृणोति ।न साधु मन्ये यत आत्मनोऽयमसन्नपि क्लेशद आस देहः ॥४॥nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarmayad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇotina sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yamasann api kleśada āsa dehaḥWhen a person considers sense gratification the aim of life, he certainly becomes mad after materialistic living and engages in all kinds of sinful activity. He does not know that due to his past misdeeds he has already received a body which, although temporary, is the cause of his misery. Actually the living entity should not have taken on a material body, but he has been awarded the material body for sense gratification. Therefore I think it not befitting an intelligent man to involve himself again in the activities of sense gratification by which he perpetually gets material bodies one after another.
The safest position is let us always be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then we make spiritually advance and safe from the reaction of sinful life.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja thought it that, although he was born in a family, asura family, ugra, ugra-jātam, still, if he decides to serve Kṛṣṇa, Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva, with bhakti, following the footprints of gaja-yūtha pāya, 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 Vaiṣṇava. And this animal, crocodile, he was under the feet of a Vaiṣṇava, so he was also saved. [laughter]
This is the story, you know. So therefore, chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava sevā. He indirectly gave service to the Vaiṣṇava, and he also became delivered.
Prayer and the Hare Krishna mantra
So bhakti is so nice thing that very easily you can get favor of the Supreme Person. And if Kṛṣṇa is pleased upon you, then what remains? Everything you get. Everything you get.
Yasmin vijñāte sarvam eva vijñātaṁ bhavanti [Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3]. Easiest way to please Kṛṣṇa... You don't require much money, much education, and nothing of the sort.
Simply you require your heart = "O Kṛṣṇa, You are my Lord. You are my master eternally. I am Your servant eternally.
Let me be engaged in Your service." That is Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ [devotees chant] Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.
This is the meaning of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra: "O Kṛṣṇa, O energy of Kṛṣṇa, 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 patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ māṁ viṣame bhavaṁ budhau. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching us.
Bhavaṁ budhau. This material world is just like a great ocean, bhava. Bhava means repetition of birth and death, and āmbu means āmbudhau, means in the sea, in the ocean.
So we are struggling hard for existence in this ocean. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ayi nanda tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ mām: "I am Your servant eternal. Somehow or other I have fallen in this ocean and struggling.
Pick Me up." Ayi nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ mām viṣame bhavāmbudhau kṛpāya. By Your causeless mercy...
CC Antya 5ayi nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhaukṛpāya tava pāda-paṅkaja-sthita-dhūlī sadṛśsaṁ vicintaya
This is bhakti-mārga, devotional service, to become very humble, meek, always pray to Kṛṣṇa, "Kindly consider me as one of the particle of the dust of the lotus feet of Your Lordship," this very simple thing.
Man-manā. In this way think of Kṛṣṇa, become His devotee, offer obeisances, and whatever patraṁ puṣpaṁ, little flower, water, you can provide, offer to Kṛṣṇa. In this way live very peacefully and be happy.
Thank you very much.
Devotees: Jaya Prabhupada. [end]