Krsna and His Associates

Arrival Lecture--
Gainesville, July 29, 1971

Prabhupada: We see you chanting the maha-mantra. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu predicted that in every village, town, country on the surface of the globe this sankirtana movement will be spreading. So we are very much obliged to you that in this remote place, which is thousands and thousands miles away from Lord Caitanya’s birthplace, Navadvipa, and you are carrying out, to fulfill His desire, chanting Hare Krsna mantra. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu—the picture is there—assisted by four others, Panca-tattva. Krsna appeared in five principles.

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself, and Nityananda Prabhu is His immediate expansion, and Advaita Prabhu is incarnation. Gadadhara Prabhu is internal potency, and srivasadi, Srivasa is heading the list of His devotees. Srivasa represents the marginal potency of Krsna.So sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda means Krsna complete. Just like when we speak of a king, “king’’ does not mean king is alone. He, somebody says the king is coming here, it is to be understood that king with his associates coming. King does not come alone. Whenever a..., the king goes, he goes with his secretary, minister, commander, so many other people. King is never alone. There must be queen also, and queen’s associates.

Similarly, Krsna, the supreme king, how He can be alone? He’s not alone. He’s always with His associates. Therefore you see Krsna’s picture, Vrndavana picture. He’s with His associates—a cowherds boy, a cowherds girl, Krsna’s father Nanda Maharaja, Mother Yasoda. But Krsna is not alone. Supreme..., any person, he can not be alone. Just like we are here, we are not alone. We are so many friends, so many associates. So person does not mean alone. Person means with associates.

This Sri Krsna Caitanya Prabhu Nityananda, worshiping Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu means to worship Him with His associates, Panca-tattva. Panca-tattvatmakam krsnam bhakta-rupa-svarupakam.Krsna has appeared as a devotee. In the Bhagavad-gita, Krsna, the Supreme Lord, ordered that “You give up all engagements. Just surrender and I’ll give you protection.’’ But people sometimes misunderstood Him. There are many so-called commentators on the Bhagavad-gita. They mislead people by giving some wrong commentation on Krsna.

One big scholar in India, Dr. Radhakrishnan, he gives comments on a verse where is direct order of Krsna, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto, mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65], that “You become My devotee, always think of Me, offer your obeisances unto Me.’’ But Radha..., Radhakrishnan comments in a different way. “This obeisances is not to the person Krsna.’’ Just see. Such a big scholar, he is misinterpreting, “Not to the person Krsna.’’ In this way, Bhagavad-gita, although widely read all over the world, in all countries, they are being mislead by improper commentary. So we are therefore trying to present Bhagavad-gita or Krsna as He is. And by the grace of Krsna, it is coming out successful.

For thousands of years Bhagavad-gita was being read in foreign countries by big, big scholars, philosophers, but there was not a single devotee of Krsna. But we have started this movement, not even five years old, we have got sixty branches, and there are thousands and thousands of devotees. Why? The secret is that we have not cheated people, we have not adulterated. If you put something for sale in the market which is very pure, automatically you’ll get many customers. Automatic. Because the thing is pure. If you sell pure milk, just from the farm, there will be many hundreds of customers immediately, and if you sell adulterated, homogenized water mixed milk, the milk will be sold, but not very many customers ordinarily. So anything pure will attract. That is natural.

Pure love, pure foodstuff, anything pure. Pure gold. In economics also. It is said, “Bad money drives away good money.’’ If you put bad money, just like nowadays the currency is some paper, paper currency, so drives away good money. Good money means gold coins. They are not to be seen. That’s economic law. As soon as you put bad money, the good money will vanish.So try to present Krsna as He is. People will be attracted, because everyone has got Krsna’s intimate relationship. We are all part and parcel of Krsna. Krsna says, mamaivamso jiva bhuta, all living entities, not only human being, other than human being, everyone, all living entities. They have got different bodies only, according to their different desires and inclinations. Otherwise, every living entity from..., beginning from Brahma down to an insect, a small ant, they are all living entities, and they are all parts and parcel of Krsna, or God. We are all part and parcel of God. Therefore, just like you are part and parcel of your parent, so there is some intimate relationship with your parents. It cannot be broken, even if you are absent from home for many years. Still, when you go home, meet your parents, the old relationship—affectionate father, mother and son—immediately you’ll revive. It does not take much time—because the son was long, long away from father, and he has come back, he takes another hundred years to establish the relation. No. As soon as the father and the son is together, the natural relationship immediately revives. Similarly, Krsna is the original father, God is the original father. We are all His sons. Somehow or other we have left home. We have tried to enjoy material sense gratification.

Krsna has given us full facility. But we are not happy. That is not possible. Because we are separated from our original position, therefore we can not be happy. I give you one example. Just like this finger is the part and parcel of your body or my body, your body. If this finger is separated from this body it has no value, but if it is attached with this body, it has value. Similarly, we being part and parcel of God, Krsna, if we’re detached from God then we cannot be happy. That is a fact. There are many examples. Just like a baby, the part and parcel of the mother, crying, so many people trying to pacify the baby, taking on the lap, but still it is crying. But as soon as the baby is on the breast of the mother, immediately happy. Naturally. The baby knows, “Now I have come to the right place.’’ Although it cannot speak, it cannot express, but the natural position, as soon as realized.

Therefore Bhagavad-gita says brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. As soon as you become brahma-bhuta... Brahma-bhuta means you are brahma; now your position is jiva-bhutah, materially attached. That is called jiva-bhuta. Materially dressed. Brahma, spirit soul, materially dressed. That is called jiva-bhuta. Jiva-bhuta means struggle for existence. Manah-sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati [Bg. 15.7]. Prakrti-sthani, in the material nature they are struggling hard for existence, because that is artificial life. The same jiva, when comes to Krsna consciousness, it is called brahma-bhuta, brahman realization, self-realization. “I am Krsna’s.’’ That is self-realization.

Just like the same child, crying. “I am now on the lap of my mother,’’ it is happy. Similarly, when you come to Krsna consciousness, then you can become happy. Otherwise, go on crying for millions of years on different laps or different bodies. You cannot be happy.So this movement, Krsna consciousness movement means making people directly in contact with the Supreme. Therefore immediately they’re happy. I have got thousands of letters from my disciples. They’re feeling so much obliged that “We have got our life. We were hopeless.’’ Actually, that is the position. Without Krsna, without Krsna consciousness, we are all hopeless, confused. So I am very happy to see so many nice boys and girls assembled here. So take to this process.

We have got sufficient literature—books, magazines. And the simple method is, even if you do not read, suppose you are not educated, illiterate, you can not read, and still you can reach Krsna. Bhakti, devotional service is not dependent on any material condition. Because one man is very rich, he can get Krsna? No. Because one man is very poor, he cannot get Krsna? No. That’s not right. Because one is Hindu or Indian, he can get Krsna, not others? No. That is also not. Krsna is unconditionally for everyone. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: sarva yonisu kaunteya [Bg. 14.4]. Otherwise, how He can be God? If He is a Hindu God, just like they describe in the dictionary that Krsna, a Hindu God—that is nonsense. Krsna is for everyone. Krsna does not say that “I am a Hindu God.’’ But these rascals say Krsna is Hindu God. This is going on.

You see in the Bhagavad-gita, Krsna says, sarva yonisu kaunteya [Bg. 14.4]. “In all species of life.’’ Sambhavanti murtayah. There are as many different forms of life. Tasam mahad yoni, brahma: “Their mother is this material nature, and I am their seed-giving father.’’ Krsna says that. So how can Krsna be Indian or Hindu or this or that? No. Krsna is for everyone. And the proof is that five years ago in the Western countries nobody knew what is Krsna. How they’re taking Krsna in so loving attitude? This is the proof that Krsna is for everyone, and everyone is for Krsna.Try to understand this philosophy. Don’t be mislead. It is not a sectarian religion. It is the fact. Nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti sadhya kabhu naya.

The author of Caitanya-caritamrta, Krsnadasa Kaviraja, he says, nitya siddha krsna bhakti. Krsna-bhakti, our love for Krsna, is eternal fact. Everyone has got love for Krsna. Now, somehow or other it is covered. But that has to be awakened. Just like covered fire. Sometimes fire is covered by the ashes, and if you’ll fan over the fire and put some new charcoal, again the fire will awaken, very bright. So similarly, somehow or other, our love for Krsna is covered by these material designations: “I am American,’’ “I am Christian,’’ “I am Hindu,’’ “I am Muslim,’’ “I am this,’’ “I am that.’’ These are all ashes. The fire is the spirit soul.

So if you rightly fan it over, and you’ll see very soon, the fire will come out again. So how fanning? Sravanadi-suddha-citte. You kindly hear about Krsna suddha-citta, without any embarrassment, without being biased to something else. Suddha-citte. If you... then Krsna consciousness, or love for Krsna, will automatically awaken, simply by hearing. That is happening. What we are doing? We are chanting everywhere “Hare Krsna,’’ and people are coming for hearing. We’re not bribing them that “You take some money and become a member of the Krsna consciousness movement.’’ Rather they are paying. So how it is happening, unless that Krsna consciousness (is) within him? Try to understand that. Everyone, it doesn’t matter when he is born, what he is, what profession he’s not—whatever he may be. Simply if he hears about Krsna.

Just like after very, very long time, if you hear something which was very intimately known to you, you immediately become attracted: “Oh, that sound is again coming.’’ You see. Similarly, Krsna is our original father. As soon as we hear about Krsna, naturally we shall be inclined to hear about Him more and more. So the more you hear, the more you become advanced in Krsna consciousness, and more our life becomes successful. Then you go back to home, back to Godhead. This is the process.So I’m very glad that you are so many boys and girls taking interest in Krsna consciousness.

So please come here. You have got a very nice place. Discuss about Krsna. Try to understand Krsna through philosophy, through science, through your intelligence—not that blindly—and you will be surely understanding what is Krsna. And as soon as you understand Krsna your life is successful. You become happy in this life, and if you execute properly Krsna consciousness, then next life you’ll go immediately to Krsna for eternal blissful life of knowledge, sac-cid-ananda vigrahah. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah: “Anyone who knows Me in fact, in truth, the result is tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. That person, after giving up this body, he never comes again to this material world.’’ This material world, so long we have got desire to enjoy this material world, Krsna will give you different bodies, as you like. You can have your body in America, you can have your body in China, you can have your body in Russia, or in the moon planet—wherever you like. You simply desire, and it will be fulfilled in your next life.

Desire means if you strongly desire till the point of your death, then next life your are going to get. That is nature’s arrangement. So why should we desire for any other life? We should desire to go back to Krsna, tyaktva deham punar janma [Bg. 4.9], then you’ll not get any material body. Then punar janma naiti, he does not get this material body. Then what happens to him? Mam eti: “He comes to Me.’’ Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita. And as soon as you go there, you become associate of Krsna in so many loving relationships. You can serve Krsna passively, as Vrndavana land, as tree, as water, so many, as flowers, as fruits. This is called santa rasa. And next you can serve Krsna. If you like to serve Krsna, you can serve Him as servant. Next, you can become friend of Krsna, as a boyfriend or girlfriend. Next, you can become father and mother of Krsna.

Yasoda and Nanda, Nanda Maharaja, there’re serving Krsna, accepting Krsna as their on, because the son is served. Son takes service from the parents. So devotees, they do not like to accept Krsna as father. They would like to have Krsna as their son. Father means to exact “Father give me this. I want. Mother give me this’’—to take service. And to accept God as son means to give service.So devotees, they want to give service only. They do not want in exchange from Krsna anything. That is pure love. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was teaching like that.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye: “My dear Lord, I do not want from You any amount of riches, dhanam; janam, any number of followers.’’ Na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitad, “not very nice, beautiful, attractive wife. I do not want all these things.’’ Because materially we want all these things. All these people are struggling very hard. What for? For riches. “Money, money. Where is money? Where is money?’’ And then, as soon as he has got some money, then he wants to be minister, or president, or governor. Janam, followers, there will be so many followers. Na dhanam, na janam. And very beautiful wife or husband for sense gratification. These things are wanted for materially ambitious people. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, “I don’t want all these things.’’ He’s teaching, na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye. Then what You want? Mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi: “I simply want that I may take My birth anywhere, it doesn’t matter, but let Me become Your servant. Let Me become Your devotee.’’ That is the aspiration of pure devotee.

So as soon as we shall require any material things, the Krsna will give us opportunity. But that is not very good proposal. In the material life, either your very rich man or demigod, or in the higher planetary system, or as insect or any royal person anywhere, the threefold miseries of material existence there must be. Every intelligent man should be aspiring for Krsna only and should be satisfied as Krsna likes him to do. That’s all. This is Krsna consciousness movement. You try to understand. Take to it. You’ll be happy. That is our proposal.So if anyone has got some question, you can ask.

Devotee (1): Anyone have any questions?

Woman Guest: It seems that most of the devotees are young people, persons under thirty, under twenty-five. Why is this so? Why hasn’t the movement spread? Is this a deliberate thing, or why do you feel it hasn’t spread to parents or to older people?

Prabhupada: Why the young people go to university?

Woman Guest: I’m sorry?

Prabhupada: Why in the university you’ll find all the students are young boys and girls? Why?Woman

Guest: That’s the age of education.

Prabhupada: That’s the age of Krsna consciousness (laughter). Old fools, they cannot change their opinion. (laughter)

Woman Guest: Why just in the last five years?

Prabhupada: Because they have got now. Before this there was no such thing. Now they have got it, they’re coming.

Woman Guest: Were you trying before then?Prabhupada: No. Before there was no such movement in your country.

Woman Guest: I know, I know. But why did you just now...

Prabhupada: So now they have got the thing. They are wanting it. As they have got it, they are coming.

Devotee (2): How do you develop a service attitude in Krsna consciousness?

Devotee (1): (repeats) How do you develop a service attitude?

Prabhupada: By service. In the material world, if you give service you become tired. But transcendental world, if you give service, you more become enthusiastic. Yes, more service. That is happening. I do not pay these boys. Rather, they pay me, and they engage the service. They pay and serve. In the material world, as soon as you stop payment there is no service. Why? Because they, by serving Krsna, they get transcendental pleasure. So the more you engage yourself in the service of the Lord, the more you become enthusiastic. There is no question of becoming tired. Just like I am old man. I have come from India. My age is seventy-six years. So still I am enthusiastic. Still I am going everywhere, all over the world. Why? Krsna’s service is so nice. Even old man like me, he gets energy to work. And that’s also without any salary. Krsna’s service is so nice that you try to engage yourself more and more. Then you’ll get more and more Krsna conscious, more enthusiasm. And this is spiritual. This is spiritual. Ahaituky apratihata. This service cannot be checked by any material condition. That I have already explained. Other service, material service, will be checked by material conditions. But transcendental loving service of Krsna will never be checked by any material condition. That is the test.

Woman Guest: Does the Krsna movement recognize other types of service to human beings like the social workers? Teaching...

Prabhupada: Yes, this is best service to human beings, to make them Krsna conscious.

Woman Guest: Is there room in the movement for other persons who are indirectly serving Krsna rather than chanting Hare Krsna all day?

Prabhupada: No, the process is, just like if you pour water on the root of the tree, the water is distributed to the leaf, branches, twigs, and they remain fresh. But if you water on the leaf only, the leaf will also dry, and the twig will be also dry. If you put your foodstuff on the stomach, then the energy will be distributed to your finger, to your hairs to your nails and everywhere. And if you take foodstuff in the hand and do not put in the stomach, it will be useless waste.

So all this humanitarian service has been wasted because there is no Krsna consciousness. They’re trying so many ways to serve the human society, but they’re all being frustrated in useless attempt, because there is no Krsna consciousness. And if people are trained to become Krsna conscious, then automatically everyone will be happy. Any one who will join, one, anyone who will hear, anyone who will cooperate—everyone will be happy. So our process is natural process. You love God, and if you (are) actually expert in loving God, naturally you love everyone.

Just like Krsna conscious person, because he loves God, he loves the animals also. He loves birds, beasts, everyone. But so-called humanitarian love means they’re loving some human being, but the animals are being killed. Why they do not love the animals? Because imperfect. But the Krsna conscious person will never kill an animal or give trouble to animal even. But that is universal love. If you love only your brother or sister, that is not universal love. Universal love means you love everyone.

That universal love can be developed by Krsna consciousness, not by otherwise.Woman Guest: I know some of the devotees have had to sever relationships, so to speak, with their material world parents, and it gives them some degree of grief, because their parents don’t understand. Now what do you tell them to kind of make this easier?Prabhupada: Well, a boy who is in Krsna consciousness, he is giving the best service to his parents, families, countrymen, society. Without being Krsna conscious, what service they are giving to their parents? Mostly they are separated.

But, as Prahlada Maharaja was a great devotee and his father was a great nondevotee, so much so that his father was killed by Nrsimhadeva, but Prahlada Maharaja, when he was ordered by the Lord to take some benediction, he said that “I am not a merchant, Sir, that by giving You some service I’ll take some return. Please excuse me.’’ Nrsimhadeva was very much satisfied: “Here is a pure devotee.’’ But the same pure devotee requested the Lord, “My Lord, my father was atheist, and he has committed so many offenses, so I beg that my father may be liberated.’’ And Nrsimhadeva said, “Your father is already liberated because you are the, his son. In spite of all his offenses, he is liberated, because you are his son. Not only your father, but your father’s father, his father up to seven generations, they are all liberated.’’ So if Vaisnava appears in a family, he liberates not only his father, but his father, his father, his father, his father, in that way. But that is the best service to the family, to become Krsna conscious. Actually, it has happened.

One of my students, Karttikeya, his mother was so much fond of society that usually when he wanted to see his mother, mother says “Sit down. I am going to the dancing party.’’ That was the relationship. Still, because he, this boy, is Krsna conscious, he was talking of Krsna to his mother many times. So at the time of death the mother asked the son, “Where is your Krsna? He is here?’’ And she immediately, she died. That means at the time of death she remembered Krsna, and immediately she was delivered. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]. At the time of death if one remembers Krsna, then life is successful. So this mother, on account of the son, Krsna consciousness son, she got liberated, without actually coming to Krsna consciousness. So this is the benefit.

Woman Guest: What about the children of new devotees now? The devotees will soon be having children in the next...

Prabhupada: They will be also Krsna conscious. We are maintaining, raising all these children. There are so many children in our society. We have got... There is school. We are preparing special school study books for them. We are taking care of them nicely.

Woman Guest: I wondered, are you sending them, or do you advocate sending them to secular schools, or have you made arrangements...?

Prabhupada: No, no. We admit without application. There is no need of application. You’ll please come and stay with us, that’s all. Our door is open. We are rather appealing to the person, “Please come.’’ In ordinary institution you have to put your application. When it is sanctioned, then you are admitted. We are canvassing, “Please come, please come, please come.’’ Still they are not coming.

Woman Guest: That isn’t exactly what I meant. I just wondered if you made arrangements with the government to...

Prabhupada: Yes, we’re trying for that.Woman Guest: It’s still under way now?Prabhupada: To get our institution in New Vrindaban, the government has said that “You make such and such building.’’ So we have no money, but still we are trying. So as soon as the government conditions are fulfilled, we’ll get government cooperation also.Woman Guest: Thank you.Prabhupada: That’s all. (end)