Bombay,decemer 26,1972
Eagerness to serve KnlJa without personal like for pleasure or renunciation is the only desire of a pure devotee.
Devotee (Reading from The Nectar of Devotion): "The Lord particularly instructed Rupa Goswami on the science of Krsna conscious … "
Prabhupada: So here the point is that Sanatana Goswami, Sakara Mallik,was so mad after meeting Caitanya Mahaprabhu that he resigned his service as minister. Therefore he was imprisoned.Now to get out of the prison ouse,e ribed. Even though it was sinful to bribe, he didn't care for it; he was so uch ecstatic. This is called laulyam. Laulyam means just like we become ery much greedy in achieving some success or receiving something sometimes. We become mad. That is required. Laulyam eka mulyam. To achieve Krsna consciousness perfectly,this ecstatic eagerness or reediness,to serve Krsna,that is the only price to achieve success in evotional service.That is the onl y price. Not money, not anything. Not restige,not good parentage, not beauty-nothing.simply this ecstatic,intense desire,"How I shall get Krsna?" Then you'llget Krsna.He'll take you. That is he example of the gopis,intense desire.This ecstatic desire, that "I,this life,I shall get recognition by Krsna, that I have sacrificed everything for Krsna," his is required.Go on.
Devotee: "These teachings of Lord Caitanya to Srila prabhu pada Goswami Prabhupada are narrated in our book,Teachings of Lord Caitanya.Later,Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhupada elaborated the eachings of the Lord with profound knowledge of revealed scriptures and uthoritative ref-erences from various Vedic literatures Srila Srinivasa Acarya desc ribes in his prayers to the six Goswamis that they were all highly learned scholars,not only in Sanskrit but also in foreign languages,such as Persian and Arabian.They very scrutinizingly studied all the Vedic iteratures in order to establi sh the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu on the aut horized principles of Vedic knowledge.The present Krsna a consciousness movement is also based on the authority of Srila Rupa Goswami prabhupada.We are therefore generally known as rupanugas,or followers in the footsteps of Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhupada.It is only for our guidance
that … "
Prabhupada: Rupanuga varaya te: followers of Rupa Goswami.Narottama Dasa Thakura says in his song: rupa-raghunatha-pade haibe akuti kabe hama bujhabo sri yugala-piriti.
Yugala-piriti,the conjugallove between Radha and Krsna,is not understood by a third-class man.It is not possible.If one thinks Krsna is ordinary human being,Radharani is ordinary girl,then it is n ot possible.one has to understand Krsna and Radharani through the bhakti literature of these Goswamis.Therefore Narottama dasa Thakura says,rilparaghunatha- pade haibe kuti.Eagerness. "When I shall try to understand yugala-piriti,the conjugal love of Radha – Krsna a,through the literature of Rlipa-Raghunatha?"
Devotee: "It is only for our guidance that Srila Rlipa Goswami prepared this book,the Bhaktirasamrta- sindhu,which is now presented in the form of The Nectar of Devotion.Persons engaged in the Krsna consciousness movement may take advantage of this great literature and be very solidly situated in Krsna consciousness.Bhakti means devotional service.Every service has some attractive feature which drives the servitor progressively on and on.Everyone of us within this material world … "
Prabhupada: Without,without some attractive feature,nobody is interested.Just like we are talking here about krsna-bhakti,but people in general,they're not very much attracted to Krsna consciousness.So they do not care to come.There must be some attractive feature. Otherwise …So different people have got different attractive features. Therefore Krsna says, [Bg. 7.3]
manusyanam sahasresu
kascid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanam
kascid mam vetti tattvatah
This attraction for Krsna can be developed in the association of devotees,satam prasangat.Automaticall y,nobody's attracted for Krsna The whole world is like that.So the Krsna consciousness movement means to give these people a chance to associate with devotees and thus become attracted to Krsna That is required.Maya asakta-manah partha yogam yunjn mad-asrayah.Mayy asakta,to become attracted by Krsna Krsna means attractive.Just like magnetic attracts naturally the iron.But if the iron is rusty,it cannot attract.Similarly,Krsna is attractive, and we are part and parcel of Krsna We are also attracted by Krsna But because we are now covered by the maya rust,we are not attracted.This maya rust has to be polished;then you'll be attracted. Otherwise Krsna is attractive.Krsna means attractive. Go on.
Devotee: "Everyone of us within this world is perpetually en-gaged in some sort of service, and the impetus for such service is the pleasure we derive from it."
Prabhupada: Yes.We cannot work unless we derive some plea sure. Ju st Ii ke I have seen in Calcutta,while passing through , one hotekl man was cutting the throat of a chicken,and the chicken,after being cut,jumping like anything.And he was laughing. He was taking pleasure.It was for me so horrible,but he was taking very nice pleasure: "This halfcut chicken is jumping." And his son was crying. Go on.
Devotee: "Driven by affection for his wife and children,a family man works day and night.A philanthropist works in the same way for love of the greater family,and the nationalists for the cause of his country and countrymen.That force which drives the philanthropist,the householder and the nationalists is called rasa,or a kind of mellow,or relationship whose taste is very sweet.Bhakti-rasa is a mellow different from the ordinary rasa enjoyed by mundane workers.Mundane workers labor very hard,day and night,in order to relish a certain kind of rasa which is understood as sense gratification.The relish or taste of the mundane rasa does not long endure,and therefore mundane workers are always apt to change their position of enjoyment.A business man is not satisfied byworking the whole week;therefore wanting a change for the weekend,he goes to a place where he tries to forget his business activities.Then, after the weekend is spent in forgetfulness' he again changes his position and resumes his actual business activities.Material engagement means accepting a particular status for some time and then changing it. This position of changing back and forth is technically known as bhogatyaga, which means a position of alternating sense enjoyment and renunciation."
Prabhupada: Yes,their positionis sense enjoyment.If,by hoga,they are not satisfied,then tyaga.Brahma sat yam agan mithya.Giveit,give it up.Again,by tyaga,whenhe does not find any sense pleasure,then again comes back:All right, come to social service,open hospital,open school.That is goingon.Sometimes jagan mithya,everythingis mithya, and Brahman issatya. Aham brahmasmi.But when they cannot get Brahman,cannot realize Brahman, then again come to this Bhoga, Pendulum Bhoga, tyaga, bhoga you know that pendulum works:kaut kaut kaut aut.Bhoga,tyaga, bhoga, tyaga.So Krsna says,you have to give up this bhoga dharma and tyaga dharma.Sarvadharman parityajya [Bg.18.66].You are now en gaged in two kinds of dharma.Karmis,they are bhoga dharmi.They want to enjoy.And tyagi,they want to renounce this bhoga.Both of these will not help you.Bhoga-tyaga.Then what? Seva. You have to take the dharma of seva. That is bhakti.Krsna-seva.For Krsna,you can accept anything. That is … it may appear bhoga.Just like Prahlada Maharaja,Prthu Maharaja,they were kings,very opulent kings.Dhruva Maharaja. So still they were great devotees. Not ordinary devotees,mahajanas.
So this bhoga-tyaga has no meaning.It has no benefit.One has to become devotee.Either in the bhoga field or in the tyaga field,it doesn't matter.Bhoga-tyaga is ot equired.Service is required,Krsna's service.That service may be on the platform of bhoga or tyaga.Krsna has to be satisfied.Devotee's not concerned with bhoga-tyaga. Devotee's concerned with Krsna's service
We asked this question,bhogatyaga, to our Guru Maharaja.What"is the difference?just like rupa Goswami,he left everything for Caitanya Mahaprabhu's service.His lucrative service,minister post and everything-tyaga.And Ramananda Raya,he was governor. He was governor and grhastha,and living very luxuriantly.He's bhoga, he's bhoga platform.Now both of them were devotees of Lord Caitanya.So what is the difference? This question was put.
So our Guru Maharaja replied: Just like a woman,according to our Vedic system,when her husband is out of home,she is not supposed to dress herself very nicely.It is called prosita bhartrka.The system was that one should dress herself in such a way that people can understand what is her position-whether she's unmarried,whether she's married whether she's widow, whether her husband is away,whether she's a prostiture,everything.So the prosita bhartrka does not dress herself nicely,she lies down on the floor, does not comb the hair.And the same woman,when her husband is at home,she takes bath twice and applies oil and wears very nice dress, ornaments,and so many things.Women know how to decorate themselves.Her not dressing herse lf nicely and dressing herself nicely,it may be considered that bhoga and tyaga.But either of these positions is for center is husband. Center is husband.Therefore bhogatyaga is not consideration.If for Krsna I have to give up everything, I will give up.And if for Krsna,I'll have to accept everything,I will accept. This is required.Not the position of bhoga-tyaga,but service.
We have to see whether Krsna wants it or not.Krsna.a said to Arjuna, "You become victorious in this battlefield and kill all of them." "Yes, I shall do that. "Karisye vacanam cava [Bg.18.73]. If Krsna would have asked him,"What is this fighting? You give up.Come with Me.Go to the forest," Arjuna would have done that.So our policy is not.bhogatyaga. Our policy is satisfaction of Krsna.That is pure bhakti.
anyabhilasita-sunyam jana-karmady anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanu- silanam bhaktir uttama
("One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Krsna favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation.That is called pure devotional service.") [Brs. 1.1.11]
sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam
hrsiken"a hrsikesaa sevanarh bhaktir ucyate
(Bhakti means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord,the master of all the senses.When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme,there are two side ef· fects.One is freed from all material designations,and one's senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.) [Ce. Madhya 19.170]
Thank you very much.