The Bliss Of Krishna Consciousness

bhajahū re mana śrī-nanda-nandana- abhaya-caraṇāravinda re durlabha mānava-janama sat-saṅge taroho e bhava-sindhu re [O mind, just worship the lotus feet of the son of Nanda, which make one fearless. Having obtained this rare human birth, cross over this ocean of worldly existence by associating with saintly persons.] Then he says that "What I am doing? What is my present occupation?" The present occupation is, śīta ātapa bāta bariṣaṇa e dina jāminī jāgi re biphale sevinu kṛpaṇa durajana capala sukha-laba lāgi' re [Day and night I remain sleepless, suffering heat and cold, wind and rain. For a bit of flickering happiness I have vainly served wicked and miserly men.] He says that "I am working hard, day and night. And there is no question of winter or summer or rainy season. I have to work hard, day and night. If there is night duty in the winter season, I have to join my office at twelve o'clock at night. So I must go. There is snowfall. If I don't go, then I'll be absent. So I am working so hard, very hard.'' Śīta ātapa bāta bariṣaṇa, jāminī jāgi re. "And what for I am working?'' Now, biphale sevinu kṛpaṇa durajana: "Just to serve persons who cannot protect me." "Who cannot protect me.'' We think that my wife or my husband or my children or my relatives or my friends and, oh, so many we have got, relationship with this material world... And everyone is working to satisfy his relatives. A family man is working so hard because he has to satisfy his wife, children, friends and so many other person. But one should be conscious that "These friends and relatives, they cannot protect me ultimately. They are... Neither I can protect them, nor they can protect me.'' You see? Everyone responsible. Everyone is responsible for his own activity. Besides that... Now, suppose if I am constructing a high building, skyscrapers—just like you have got very good experience in this country—if somebody asks me that "Why you are building so high building? What is the reason?'' and if I answer, "Just to set fire it it,'' then the..., the man will laugh: "You, simply for setting fire, you are spending so much money and building this high building for setting fire?'' "Yes.'' So this sort of answer is just like in our present activities. Now, of course, you take the dead bodies to the crematorium and, I mean to say, put into the grave. But India... In India, of course, there is graveyard for the Muhammadans and the Christians, but the Hindus, they burn the dead body. They burn the dead body. You see? In the Bhāgavata also, these three system are recorded, that the ultimate transformation of this body will be either ashes, stool or earth. Purport to Bhajahū Re Mana (March 30,1966) By His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada

Bhagavad Gita - 9.33 किं पुनर्ब्राह्मणा: पुण्या भक्ता राजर्षयस्तथा । अनित्यमसुखं लोकमिमं प्राप्य भजस्व माम् ॥ ३३ ॥ kiṁ punar brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyā bhaktā rājarṣayas tathā anityam asukhaṁ lokam imaṁ prāpya bhajasva mām Synonyms kim — how much; punaḥ — again; brāhmaṇāḥ — brāhmaṇas; puṇyāḥ — righteous; bhaktāḥ — devotees; rāja-ṛṣayaḥ — saintly kings; tathā — also; anityam — temporary; asukham — full of miseries; lokam — planet; imam — this; prāpya — gaining; bhajasva — be engaged in loving service; mām — unto Me. Translation How much more this is so of the righteous brāhmaṇas, the devotees and the saintly kings. Therefore, having come to this temporary, miserable world, engage in loving service unto Me Purport : In this material world there are classifications of people, but, after all, this world is not a happy place for anyone. It is clearly stated here, anityam asukhaṁ lokam: this world is temporary and full of miseries, not habitable for any sane gentleman. This world is declared by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be temporary and full of miseries. Some philosophers, especially Māyāvādī philosophers, say that this world is false, but we can understand from Bhagavad-gītā that the world is not false; it is temporary. There is a difference between temporary and false. This world is temporary, but there is another world, which is eternal. This world is miserable, but the other world is eternal and blissful Purport given by His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada

Sulabha means "I am very easily available for him." Tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ pārtha. "Why? Why You are so...? Why You become so cheap to this person?" Because nitya-yuktasya yoginaḥ: "Oh, he is constantly... Twenty-four hours, he's engaged in My service. I cannot forget him." This is... This is the process. Just become submissive and attract the attention of God. Then you'll be successful. Just try to... My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "Don't try to see God. You work in such a way that God will see you. God will take care of you. Don't try to see God." This is the process. "I want to see God. O God, please come and stand before me," oh, just like He's my servant. God is no one's servant. You have to oblige Him by your love, by your service. That is the process. Here it is..., tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ pārtha. Anyone who is engaged in that way, in that submissive way, always, constantly, without any deviation, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, oh, for him, God is very cheap, although He's not..., He is unconquerable. Lecture on Bhagavad-gītā 8.14–15 (oct 28,1966) By His Divine Grace A. C.Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada

Tanu-vāṅ-manobhir ye prāyaśaḥ ajita: "My dear Lord, You are unconquerable, but by this person You become conquered, simply by hearing." It is such a nice process. God is not conquerable, but He becomes conquerable. He is conquered by a devotee who gives up this nonsense process of understanding Him by his limited knowledge and becomes submissive. And just try to hear from the right source, and try to appear..., apply in your life. Then you become a conqueror of the Supreme. So similarly, Lord Kṛṣṇa also says that tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ. Sulabhaḥ means "I am easily available." God is not easily available. It is very difficult. "But for a person who is constantly in Kṛṣṇa consciousness," the Lord says Himself, "for him, I am easily available. Easily available." So why don't you take up this process? There is another nice verse in the Brahma-saṁhitā that... Just I forget. The purport is that a person, if he tries to understand by his sensual process... This is called sensual, āroha-panthā. Āroha-panthā means trying to ascend. Trying to ascend. There are two kinds of ways to understand knowledge. One process is āroha-panthā, ascending process, and another process is descending process. Descending process. What is that āroha-panthā? Āroha-panthā means that "I shall understand what is God by my own knowledge. I don't care for any authority, any books. I'll understand, I'll meditate, I'll think, I'll philosophize, and I'll understand what is God." This is called āroha-panthā. And against this, there is avaroha-panthā. Avaroha-panthā means getting knowledge from the authority. There are two processes. Now, out of these two processes, the āroha-panthā, one who is trying to understand the Supreme by his own limited knowledge, for him, it is said in the Brahma-saṁhitā, panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām so 'py asti yat prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs 5.34] [I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, only the tip of the toe of whose lotus feet is approached by the yogīs who aspire alter the transcendental and betake themselves to prāṇāyāma by drilling the respiration; or by the jñānīs who try to find out the nondifferentiated Brahman by the process of elimination of the mundane, extending over thousands of millions of years.] Now, panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyaḥ. By the ascending process, if anyone makes progress with the speed of mind and speed of air... You, you know the speed of mind, how it is powerful. You are sitting here, and you can think of thousands and thousands of miles away immediately. Just see the speed of mind. Similarly, the velocity of air is very thousands of miles in a second, velocity of air. So the example is given here that if anyone traverse on the path of ascending process with the velocity of mind and air... Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vat... And if he makes progress not only for one day, two days, three days, one month—koṭi-śata-vatsara, millions and millions of years, if he goes in that speed... Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manasaḥ. Vāyu. Vāyu means air. By the airplane or sputnik, or by the speed of the mind, if he makes progress... Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām. And not very ordinary man, but muni-puṅgava. Muni-puṅgava means the highest thoughtful. Puṅgava means the greatest, and a muni means thoughtful, thinker. If he goes on for millions of years in the speed of mind and speed of air, still, he will find still not knowable. Not knowable. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām, so 'py asti yat prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve. Still the subject matter remains inconceivable—inconceivable, not definite. But here is the definite information. Just in the Bhagavad-gītā you will understand that ananya-cetāḥ. Ananya-cetāḥ, without any deviation from this path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without any deviation from the devotional service in submission, if anyone thinks always of Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa says, tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ.

God, Kṛṣṇa, is called Ajita. Ajita means nobody can conquer God. Therefore His name is Ajita. Just like God has innumerable... He is unlimited, and His functions and activities are unlimited. And according to His activities, His names are also unlimited. So this is one of the name, Ajita. Ajita means "the personality who is never conquered." Nobody can conquer Him; therefore His name is Ajita. So there is a very nice verse in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir prayena ajito 'py jito' py asi tais tri-lokyām [SB 10.14.3] [Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with their body, words and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are vibrated by You personally and by Your pure devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship, although You are otherwise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.] Brahmā is praying Lord Kṛṣṇa in this way, that "A person," jñāne prayāsam udapāsya, "giving up the futile endeavor to understand the Supreme by one's limited knowledge..." Give..., give up this attempt. Jñāne prayāsam. Jñāne prayāsam means that the theosophists, the philosophers, they are trying years after years, life after years, "What is God? What is God? What is the Absolute Truth?" Just like we throw sputniks—"How much the space is length and breadth?" This is frog philosophy. Just like several times I have recited: A frog is measuring the length and breadth of Atlantic Ocean. You see? A frog, whose life is within the well, three feet, three cubic measurement, he's trying to measure what is the length and breadth of Atlantic and Pacific ocean. Similarly, our attempt to measure how far this outer space is—just like that, futile. And what to speak of this, speak of this space, our measurement of our limited knowledge... With the limited knowledge, if we want to know how far, how much long and short is God, it is a futile attempt, futile at... It is not possible. So Bhāgavata recommends, jñāne prayāsam udapāsya: "Just give up this nonsense habit to measure the Supreme." It is not possible. So jñāne prayāsam udapāsya. A person who has taken this determination, that "It is futile. It is useless to try to understand what is God by my limited knowledge," he's a..., he's an intelligent man who takes this decision. So jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva: "Just become submissive. Just try to understand your position that you are very insignificant segment in this material world, or in the creation." Namanta eva: "Just become submissive." Jñāne prayāsam: "Giving up this endeavor to understand the Supreme by one's limited knowledge, and just become submissive." Then? What is the process? San-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām: "You just try to understand the Supreme from the reliable source." San-mukharitām. Sat-mukharitām. Mukharita means from the lips, from the lips of realized souls. Just like Arjuna is understanding about God from direct Kṛṣṇa, from the lips of Kṛṣṇa. Svayaṁ padmanābha-mukham, mukha-niḥsṛtaḥ. So this is the process. So similarly, if we understand about God through the lips of Arjuna or his bona fide representative, that is the process. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva: "Submissively, one who tries to understand the transcendental nature of God from the reliable source..." Sthāne sthitāḥ. Never mind what he is. Never mind what he is. Either Indian or European or American or Japanese or Hindu or Muslim, never mind. So sthāne sthitāḥ: "Just be situated in your place. That doesn't matter." Śruti-gatām: "Just try to understand through your ears by aural reception," aural reception. San-mukharitām, śruti-gatām. Śruti means this ear, reception through the ear. San-mukharitāṁ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. Then just try to practice it in your practical life.

So our life should be so formed that in our every activity there will be God consciousness. That is the technique of yoga-sthaḥ. You haven't got to separately being seated in meditation as yoga, generally as we understand. Now, how much you can devote your time to meditation? Suppose one hour in the morning or one hour in the evening you can devote. But if you mold your life in such a way that always, twenty-four hours, you are in meditation, that is the platform of yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi. I am earning for the Supreme Lord. Then, when I earn, I bring things for cooking, I am thinking, "Oh, this thing will be cooked for Lord." Now, your wife cooks, and she is also very clean because it is being cooked for Lord Kṛṣṇa. You see? Now, as far as I am concerned here, I also cook myself my food and offer to Kṛṣṇa, and therefore I ask my friends that unless it is offered to Kṛṣṇa, you please do not take it. You see? Sometimes I see that in your country, while cooking, they taste. They taste. But I request them that don't taste before the cooking is finished. After cooking is finished and when it is offered to the Deity, then you take as much as you like. As much as you like. So that means there is God consciousness, that "This thing is being cooked for the Lord." The cooking will go on. If you don't think of God, you require cooking, because you want to eat. The cooking is there in the program. But if you think that this cooking is done for God, then your God consciousness is there. The cooking you cannot avoid. As a householder you have to cook for yourself, you have to cook for your children, you have to cook for somebody else or for your own self. Just like I am cooking. I have no here family or children, but I am cooking for myself. So cooking you cannot stop. But if you cook with the understanding that "This foodstuff is being cooked for the Lord. The Lord may be offered first; then we shall take," this is God consciousness. This is God consciousness. But is it very difficult thing? Anyone can accept this. Anyone can do it. It is not... Because your cooking business is not stopped. Simply the mode of thinking has to be changed. That's all. A small technique, that "I am earning for God. I am cooking for God. I am eating also for God. I am eating also for God." How is that eating you are...? "Now, because my body is dedicated to the service of the Lord, if I don't eat sufficiently to keep my body fit, then how can I work?" So your eating is also God consciousness. Your sleeping is also God consciousness. So that is the way. We have to mold our life's activities. Lecture on Bhagavad-gītā 2.48–49 (April 1,1966-New York) By His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada