Because Krishna is everything, being its source, we can love everything and everyone when we learn to love Him.
ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis
tabhir ya eva nija-rupataya kalabhih
goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhuto
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
“I worship Govinda [Krishna], the primeval Lord, residing in His own realm, Goloka, with Radha, who resembles His own spiritual figure. She is the embodiment of the ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities. Radha is in the company of Her confidantes [sakhis], who are embodiments of the extensions of Her bodily form and are permeated and vitalized by Govinda’s ever-blissful spiritual rasa.” Brahma-samhita 5.37
Radha and Krishna, or Govinda, are enjoying anandacinmaya- rasa, spiritual bliss. Cinmaya means spiritual, and rasa, blisseternal bliss. We are also particles of that ananda-cinmaya-rasa. anandamayo ’bhyasat. The Vedanta-sutra (1.1.12) says that every living entity is anandamaya, blissful. The living entity’s nature is to be blissful, happy, always feeling pleasure, but in our material condition of life we are just the opposite. There is neither pleasure, nor knowledge, nor eternity. But these three thingseternity, bliss, and knowledgeare the symptoms of spiritual existence.
In the Goloka Vrindavana, Krishna’s eternal abode, everything is an expansion of Krishna’s internal potency: the land, the water, the trees, the flowers, the cows, the cowherd boys. That means they are expansions of Krishna’s own person. Krishna revealed this when Brahma stole all the cows and calves and cowherd boys to test whether Krishna is actually the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krishna immediately expanded Himself to exactly duplicate all the missing cows, calves, and cowherd boys.
By Krishna’s energy, all variety exists in the spiritual world. The varieties in the material world are expansions of Krishna’s material energy, and in the spiritual world the varieties are expansions of His spiritual energy.
Nija-rupa: “[Expanded from] His own form.” Goloka eva nivasati: “He is a permanent resident of Goloka Vrindavana.” Akhilatma-bhuto: “But He is everywhere.” Although situated in His own abode, Goloka Vrindavana, Krishna can expand Himself. He can manifest Himself anywhere in the material world because the material energy is His energy. Lord Krishna and Radharani here in the temple are the same Krishna and Radharani who are in Goloka Vrindavana. The deity is simply an expansion of the Lord to accept our service.
I have many times given this example: In front of your door there is a mailbox. Although it appears to be a small box, it is not different from the post office. You place a letter in the box, it goes thousands and thousands of miles away. Therefore the mailbox is a post office. Similarly, when you worship the deity, it is exactly like posting your letters in the mailbox: Your worship is accepted by Krishna. Don’t think that you are worshiping some doll. No. As the post office kindly places a box before your house to assist you, Krishna, though living in Goloka Vrindavana, expands Himself as the deity to accept your humble service. Never consider that the deity in the temple is made of stone or brass or wood. Everything is Krishna because everything is Krishna’s energy. In the Bhagavad-gita (7.4) it is said,
bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh
kham mano buddhir eva ca
ahaõkara itiyam me
bhinna prakrtir astadha
“Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence, and false egoall together these eight constitute My separated material energies.” Everything is Krishna’s energy, and from everything Krishna can appear and accept your service. This is the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita. Krishna Himself can appear through stone because stone is His energy. If the electric power is on, you can get electricity. Similarly, Krishna’s energy is everywhere, and you can take advantage of His energy anywhere, provided you know how to take it.
The Krishna consciousness movement is teaching people how to see Krishna everywhere.
premanjana-cchurita-bhaktivilocanena
santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti
yam syamasundaram acintyaguna-svarupam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is shyamasundara, Krishna Himself, with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love.” [Brahmasamhita 5.38] The technique to see Krishna everywhere is love of Godhead. If you learn that, it doesn’t matter what religion you profess. It is of no concern. We do not say, “Become a Hindu” or “Become a Muslim” or “Become a Christian.” No. We say, “Become a lover of God.”
Learn how to love God. Your loving propensity is there, but it is being misplaced. It is placed on dog instead of God; therefore you are unhappy. When your loving propensity is in the proper place, you will be happy. This is Krishna consciousness, love of Godhead.
sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati
“The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.6] If you want happiness, then you must learn how to love God. You are trying to love somebody, but you are being frustrated, foiled. Nobody is the true object of love except God And if you love God, then naturally you love everything, because God is everything.
The example is that if you pour water on the root of a tree it goes everywhereto the twigs, to the leaves, to the flowers, everywhere. But if you pour water on the leaf, it is localized. It does not spread. Despite inventing so many kinds of humanitarian work, welfare work, still people are unhappy. Why? Because that welfare work is like pouring water on the leaf, not on the root.
The Secret of Love
Learn by Krishna consciousness how to love Krishna and how to love your country, your society, your friends, everything. But without loving Krishna, you cannot really love. Loving Krishna is the secret.
Because I love Krishna I have come to your country. Otherwise, I had no reason to come to your country. We are preaching this Krishna consciousness movement because we love everyone. We don’t make any distinction. We love animals also. We don’t like to see animal killing. That is part of our message: “No meat-eating.” Why? To save the animals, because we love animals also. We love even the ant because we love Krishna.
This is the technique of Krishna consciousness: If you learn how to love Krishna, then you will love everything. Otherwise, your love will be localized and you will be frustrated. It is most scientific. And our process is very simple: Chant Hare Krishna. That’s all. Krishna and Krishna’s name are identical. So chanting Hare Krishna means you are associating with Krishna; you are directly in touch with the root of everything.
By advancing in love for Krishna you can love your society, your country, your community, your family, your husband, your wife, your children, your friend-everything. That love is complete, purnam. And it will never end. Love of Krishna is so complete that if you go on distributing this love, it will never be expended. The complete supply will remain.
I am very glad to see you in this temple. Please try to understand the philosophy of Krishna consciousness. We have books to explain it, and at the same time we have the simple method, chanting of Hare Krishna, in which even a small child can take part. The most erudite scholar can take part, and an innocent child who has no education and no literary sense can equally take part. Both of them can take the same advantage. A small child who comes before the deity and dances and claps is getting the result. Don’t think that it is in vain. Whether a child or an adult touches fire, its action will be there equally. Similarly, anyone who comes into this temple, offers obeisances, takes a little prasadam, joins with the chanting, and hears some talks will be benefited spiritually. That is our Krishna consciousness movement.
Thank you very much.