Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.7.30–31

Prabhupāda:

...saṅgena sādhu-bhaktānām īśvarārādhanena ca [SB 7.7.30]

So Prahlāda Mahārāja is recommending how to begin bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga, the first beginning, ādau gurvāśrayam, as Rūpa Gosvāmī recommends. Ādau gurvāśrayam, the beginning, first beginning is to accept a bona fide spiritual master. Ādau gurvāśrayam. Sad-dharma-pṛcchat.

Sad-dharma-pṛcchat. So it is not that official accepting a spiritual master, but one should be very much inquisitive to understand about eternal duty, or eternal activity. Sad-dharma. Sat means eternal, and dharma means characteristics. Eternal characteristics.

What is that eternal characteristics? With this body, we change our characteristics. That is not eternal characteristics. Just like a human body. The standard of living of a human being and the standard of living of an animal, different. As the body changes, the standard of living also changes. Therefore they are not eternal. They are not eternal. Everyone is trying to live, struggle for existence, but these living conditions are different according to the body.

The body is made according to his destination of happiness and distress by superior authority. I cannot say that I will have such-and-such body in my next life. But in one sense, if I am intelligent, I can prepare my next body. I can prepare my body to live in certain planets, in certain societies. Even you can go to the higher planets. And if I like, I can prepare my body to go to the abode of Kṛṣṅa, Goloka Vṛndāvana. That is the function.

Human body is meant for that intelligence, that "What kind of body I shall have in my next life?" Just like a student educates himself with an ambition that "When I am grown up I shall have this standard of life"—"I shall become a high-court judge," "I shall become a military man," "I shall become a very good businessman." As there are different ambitions, similarly, for your next life also you can maintain different ambitions. That is in your hands.

That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, yānti deva-vratā devān. If you are ambitious to elevate yourself... Just like people are trying to go to the moon planet, that is an ambition. But they are trying to fulfill the ambition wrongly. That is not the way, that we manufacture some machine and by force we enter into the moon planet. That is not possible. You have to undergo certain rules and regulations so that after quitting this body you are allowed to get a particular type of body suitable for a particular type of planet.

yānti deva-vratā devān pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām [Bg 9.25]

[Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; those who worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who worship Me will live with Me.]

Those who are desiring to enter into the higher planetary system where demigods live—Candraloka, Sūryaloka, Indraloka, Varuṅaloka, Vāyuloka, Brahmaloka, Dhruvaloka, Bhūr, Bhuvar, Svar—there are different millions of..., vibhūti-bhinnam. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṅḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam [Bs 5.40].

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose effulgence is the source of the nondifferentiated Brahman mentioned in the Upaniṣads, being differentiated from the infinity of glories of the mundane universe appears as the indivisible, infinite, limitless, truth.]

In the brahmajyotir of Kṛṣṅa, there are innumerable planets. The spiritual portion, there are innumerable Vaikuṅṭhas. Vaikuṅṭha means... Kuṅṭha means anxiety. Where there is no anxiety, simply pleasure, that is our life. Here also we want a very happy life without any anxiety. That is our tendency. We try to make a very nice, comfortable house, a very good bank balance, all secure, so that I can live there very comfortably.

That competition is going on. But that is not possible here. Here, saṁsāra-dāvānala. This saṁsāra, it is meant for suffering. Dāvānala, just like forest fire. Nobody sets in the forest fire, but it takes automatically. So however you may try to live here comfortably, happily, peacefully, eternally, it is not possible. That is the difference between this temporary, material manifestation and eternal..., eternal Vaikuṅṭhaloka, spiritual world.

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement means to prepare a body, next life, by approaching Kṛṣṅaloka. Kṛṣṅaloka, Vaikuṅṭhaloka, innumerable there are. This material manifestation of universes... Here also there are innumerable universes. The one universe we are seeing or one solar system we are seeing, but there are innumerable solar systems. That is admitted by modern science also. So all these innumerable solar systems, or brahmāṅḍas, or universes, they form only one-third manifestation of God's creation. Only one third. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat [Bg 10.42].

[But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe.]

But the Vaikuṅṭhaloka is three-fourth part. That is stated in the śāstras.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja says to his demonic friends that "Stop this life in this material world." Bīja-nirharaṅam. We are in this material world simply by different desires. We are creating different desires, or material ambitions. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "Stop this." But stopping this... People think that "Stopping this, then where is our next life?" That they do not know. That is the difficulty. But we get information from śāstras, we get information from Bhagavad-gītā that "The place where you go and do not return back, that is My place." Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama [Bg 15.6].

Again, Kṛṣṅa says that tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti [Bg 4.9].

[One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.]

There is a process. The process is simply to understand Kṛṣṅa. Janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvataḥ. Not knowing superficially, "Oh, Kṛṣṅa is a historical person. Some five thousand years ago, He took birth as the son of Devakī," like that. Everyone knows—at least every Indian knows—and they observe Kṛṣṅa's birthday. That is beginning. But Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Absolute Truth, He is the origin of everything, He is the cause of all causes, that is not known. That one has to know.

The brahma-jyoti, impersonal jyoti, is bodily effulgence. The brahma-jyoti is resting on Kṛṣṅa. Brahmaṅo aham pratiṣṭha, Kṛṣṅa says. Just like the illumination in this room, prakāśa, is resting on this bulb. Although the illuminating light is spread all over this room, that is not original. The original is the bulb. Similarly, and from the śāstra we find,

yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṅḍa-koṭi- koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ... [Bs 5.40]

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose effulgence is the source of the nondifferentiated Brahman mentioned in the Upaniṣads, being differentiated from the infinity of glories of the mundane universe appears as the indivisible, infinite, limitless, truth.]

That brahma ananta aśeṣa-bhūtam: unlimited. Yasya prabhā. This brahma-jyoti is only effulgence of Kṛṣṅa.

Therefore, we have to understand what is Kṛṣṅa. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate [SB 1.2.11], Bhāgavata says. The Absolute Truth is one—that is Kṛṣṅa, [indistinct]—but He is known in different features: brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti. One who is trying to understand the Supreme Absolute Truth by dint of his sensual knowledge, by, I mean to say, exercising different knowledge, neti neti, they can approach up to the impersonal Brahman.

And those who are yogīs, those who are trying to find out the Absolute Truth within this body, they can realize up to Paramātmā. Brahmeti paramātmeti. And those who are on the highest planet, on the supreme platform of understanding, tattvataḥ, they realize that the Supreme Absolute Truth is the person, exactly a person like us.

Just like in the Bible it is said, "Man is made after the form of God." Not that God is made after the form of man. Somebody imagines that his formation of Kṛṣṅa is a painting of an artist who, by imagination, they have painted very nice form of Kṛṣṅa, very good-looking. No, that's not the fact. Kṛṣṅa is originally vibhus[?] Śyāmasundara. We get this information from Brahma-saṁhitā.

premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṅa-svarūpaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs 5.38]

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Śyāmasundara, Kṛṣṅa 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.]

He is Śyāmasundara. But He can be seen not by exercising our brain, our senses, our mind. He can be seen only by developing our dormant love for Kṛṣṅa, premāñjana-cchurita, not by other ways.

Kṛṣṅa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti [Bg 18.55].

[One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.]

By devotion, by love one can understand Him, not by sensual exercise or mental exercise. No. He does not say that "By jñāna, by cultivation of knowledge, I can be known." No. He never says that cultivation of yoga. Yoga, by cultivation of knowledge, by cultivation of yoga you can understand Kṛṣṅa partially, not fully.

Just like by cultivation of knowledge you realize Kṛṣṅa's bodily effulgence, brahma-jñāna. That is possible. Brahma-jñāna means Kṛṣṅa is sac-cid-ānanda vigraha [Bs 5.1], the original form of eternity, bliss and knowledge.

[Kṛṣṅa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.]

So Brahman realization means eternity realization, and Paramātmā realization means cit, or knowledge. But God realization, Kṛṣṅa realization means sac-cid-ānanda.

Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12]. The Supreme Lord is by nature full of bliss. You will see, therefore, Kṛṣṅa always blissful. Kṛṣṅa has no anxiety. Kṛṣṅa is killing a very big, big demon, and He is taking pleasure and smiling. You have seen all these pictures in our Kṛṣṅa book, how He is killing the Aghāsura, Bakāsura, Dhenukāsura, Keśī and so many asuras, just like a child is playing with toys. And similarly, He is enjoying with His cowherd boys friends, with girlfriends, gopīs, with His mother. Everywhere Kṛṣṅa you will find ānandamayo. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12].

Kṛṣṅa is never morose or full of anxiety. Why? Why God should be full of anxiety? Kṛṣṅa, you will never find that He is in meditation. Whom He will meditate? He is the Supreme Personality of God Himself. You will find Lord Śiva is in the pose of meditation, but you will never find Kṛṣṅa in meditation. Therefore He is the Supreme Lord.

And He says personally that mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat asti kiñcid dhanañjaya [Bg 7.7]:

[O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.]

"Dhanañjaya, Arjuna, just take it from Me, there is no other superior authority than Me." And that's a fact. So when Kṛṣṅa was present on this planet, He showed that nobody in the history of the world is superior than Kṛṣṅa. He showed as much as possible you can understand. Otherwise, still He has got immense power, unlimited power.

So the point is Prahlāda Mahārāja is trying to convince his demon... The demons cannot understand that the God can be a person. That is demoniac. They cannot... Because they cannot understand, the difficulty is a demon tries to understand God, comparing with himself. Dr. Frog, that the story of Dr. Frog. Dr. Frog is trying to understand Atlantic Ocean comparing with his three-feet well, that's all.

When he is informed that there is Atlantic Ocean, he's simply comparing with his limited space: "It may be four feet," or "It may be five feet," "It may be ten feet," because he is within the three feet. His friend informed, "Oh, I have seen a reservoir of water, vast water." So that vastness, he is just conjecturing, "How much the vastness may be? My well is three feet; it may be four feet, five feet," now he is going on.

But he may go on millions of millions of feet, it is still it is greater. That he does not know. Therefore, atheistic persons, demons, they think in their own way that "God, Kṛṣṅa, may be like this, Kṛṣṅa may be like this, Kṛṣṅa may be like this." Generally they think that "Kṛṣṅa are I." How they say? "Kṛṣṅa is not great."

They do not believe that God is great. He thinks that "God is as good as I am. I am also God." This is demonic. So this demonic principle..., Prahlāda Mahārāja is trying to demolish this demonic mentality of his friends, that "Don't try to be falsely puffed up to understand God. Take the process of bīja-nirharaṅaṁ yogaḥ."

This material world means we have got a seed of ambition that I want to become greater than everyone. I want to be the greatest businessman, I want to be the greatest personality, I want to be the greatest leader—the greatest, greatest, greatest—and there is comp... Everybody is trying to be greater than his friend, so therefore there is competition. But in Vaiṣṅava philosophy...

Actually that is the philosophy, because we cannot be greater or greatest. Mattaḥ parataram. Nobody can be greater than God or equal to God. That is not possible, even if he is Brahmā, Lord Śiva, or any other. Therefore, śāstra says that anyone who thinks such demigods, paratena. Yas tu nārāyaṅaṁ devam [Cc Madhya 18.116]. There is a verse like that: anyone who thinks Nārāyaṅa equal to Brahmā or Lord Śiva, then he..., that type of thinking is called pāṣaṅḍī, sa pāsaṅḍī bhaved dhruvam [Cc Madhya 18.116]. Pāṣaṅḍī means atheist.

Never... That is also one of the ten offenses in chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra. You know that. One of the offense is when you think that any name will be as good as harer nāma. No. Otherwise, why śāstra says harer nāma harer nāma, three times stressing? Nāma. Holy name means harer nāma, not any other name. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam [Cc Ādi 17.21].

[In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.]

There are many foolish persons, they say, "No, any name. You chant Durgā's name, you chant Kālī's name, you chant Śiva's name, you chant Kṛṣṅa's name, they're all the same." But no, they're not all the same. That is pāṣaṅḍī. That is pāṣaṅḍī. Kṛṣṅa, or God, is supreme.

If I say... Suppose somebody is sitting here with his subordinate servant. And if I say, "For me, you are all the same." So the master who is sitting, he will be insulted. Similarly, anyone who thinks that the Supreme Lord and the demigods are on the equal footing, that is offense. Therefore Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu warned that "Don't hear the interpretation of the Māyāvādīs.

Māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva nāśa [Cc Madhya 6.169].

[Śrīla Vyāsadeva presented the Vedānta philosophy for the deliverance of conditioned souls, but if one hears the commentary of Śaṅkarācārya, everything is spoiled.]

Anyone who tries to understand Māyāvāda philosophy—misunderstands; not understands, misunderstands—his future is doomed. Doomed means he will never be able to enter into this bīja-nirharaṅam, nirharaṅaṁ yogaḥ.

There are different kinds of yoga. This yoga is called bīja-nirharaṅaṁ yogaḥ. Prahlāda Mahārāja says, bīja-nirharaṅaṁ yogaḥ pravāhoparamo dhiyaḥ. Now he is recommending that how this bīja-nirharaṅaṁ yogaḥ can be practiced. The first important thing is guru-śuśrūṣayā. Śuśrūṣayā means you have to satisfy the spiritual master, guru. Now suppose you are very big man and you have to serve a spiritual master. Therefore, you cannot serve any third-class man or anyone. You must be satisfied that "Here is a person I can render my service. I can accept as subordinate and I can..."

Therefore, what is that guru? Bhagavad-gītā also says, tad viddhi praṅipātena paripraśnena sevayā [Bg 4.34].

[Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.]

Paripraśnena. Paripraśnena means inquiry. Ādau gurv-āśrayam, sad-dharma-pṛcchā. To accept a guru means to inquire from him about spiritual life, about transcendental situation. Not that fashion, "Oh, I have met a guru and he lives 300 miles away. I have no connection, no call[?] for him." No.

Why the... The student should be very much inquisitive to learn, because accepting a guru is necessary for a person who is very much inquisitive to learn about the spiritual world. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Those who are not inquisitive to learn about the spiritual world, to learn about God, they need not keep a guru as a fashion. There is no need.

tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsu śreya uttamam śābde pare ca niṣṅātaṁ brahmaṅy upasamāśrayam [SB 11.3.21]

[Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters.]

So the Vedas and all Vedic literature... Vedic literatures and Vedas, they are all the same; they are called śruti and smṛti. So they recommend it that if you..., tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12],

[To understand these things properly, one must humbly approach, with firewood in hand, a spiritual master who is learned in the Vedas and firmly devoted to the Absolute Truth.]

if you are actually you are anxious to learn that transcendental science, then you should accept, you should approach a bona fide spiritual master. Prahlāda Mahārāja also says the same thing, guru-śuśrūṣayā. Guru means heavy, or superior.

So you can satisfy superior by your service, not by challenging. That is not possible. Guru-śuśrūṣayā. Guru-śuśrūṣayā bhaktyā. And what kind of śuśrūṣayā? Bhaktyā. Just like a paid servant, he is also engaged in satisfying the master very nicely, very faithfully, but there is no bhakti. Why? Because he is after the money the master pays. He does not serve the master, but he serves the money. He is thinking always that "I am getting so much money from this person. If I don't satisfy him, then I may be dismissed. So I will have no money."

But here it is said bhaktyā. Bhaktyā means without any, I mean to say, material consideration. Bhakti is applicable in the spiritual world. Bhakti is transacted..., the business of bhakti is transacted in the spiritual world. Or where there is devotional service, there is spiritual world, there is no material world.

So guru-śuśrūṣayā bhaktyā sarva-labdhārpaṅena ca. So it is very difficult to [indistinct]. Just like Bali Mahārāja gave everything. Everything. Sarva-labdhārpaṅena, labdha means profit. So one should be prepared to sacrifice all profit, all gain to the spiritual master. I had one Godbrother, Professor Sanyal, he showed example.

Of course, amongst our students there are many, they have dedicated their life, and what to speak of anything, everything. That is the process here, sarva-labdha arpaṅam. Arpaṅam means delivering: "Sir, I have got this. Here you are, you take this." Then śuśrūṣayā: to serve him with devotion, with faith, and giving him everything.

Guru-śuśrūṣayā bhaktyā sarva-labdhārpaṅena ca, saṅgena sādhu-bhaktānām. And in association with sādhu. Sādhu means those who are engaged fully—fully in the Kṛṣṅa's devotional service. Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ [Bg 9.30].

[Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged in devotional service, he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated.]

Api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. Ananya-bhāk: without any deviation. Those who are engaged in the service of Kṛṣṅa, he is sādhu. It is not simply by changing dress. Sādhu means sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṅām. Sādhu means honest, sadācārī, good character.

But the ultimate aim[?] is, as Kṛṣṅa recommends, that api cet sudurācāro bhajate mām ananya..., not that one has to adopt all these sadācāra. That is secondary. But if one is staunchly devoted to Kṛṣṅa, he is sādhu. Not exactly that he has to observe all the rules and regulations, because by practice...

Just like these European and American students, sometimes they cannot adopt to the principles of sadācāra, as it is recommended. But that doesn't matter. Because they have devoted, they have sacrificed their life for Kṛṣṅa, they are sādhu. One has to understand this[?]. They should be given the respect of a sādhu because they have no other business than Kṛṣṅa. That is recommended from Kṛṣṅa.

So this Kṛṣṅa conscious society is the society of sādhus. Saṅgena sādhu-bhaktānām, sādhu-bhaktānām īśvarārādhanena, and side by side there should be arcana, Deity worship, īśvarārādhanena, the rules and regulation, how to worship. So one has to accept the spiritual master, trying to satisfy him, giving everything to the spiritual master, and in the association of sādhu and bhakta and īśvarārādhanena. So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is comprising all these items. Therefore, it is bona fide, authorized.

Thank you very much. [break]

Devotee (1): ...Kṛṣṅa knows everything we're thinking and He knows exactly when each of us will give up the material body, does that mean that everything is predestined?

Devotee (2): [explaining] Kṛṣṅa knows everything in the past and everything in the future, so can we say it is predestined?

Prabhupāda: Yes, so long within these material laws, it is predestined—but according to karma. Karmaṅā daiva-netreṅa [SB 3.31.1].

[The Personality of Godhead said: Under the supervision of the Supreme Lord and according to the result of his work, the living entity, the soul, is made to enter into the womb of a woman through the particle of male semen to assume a particular type of body.]

You are doing work, you are acting, and that is being supervised by the superior authority. And you get a type of body that "This living entity has worked in this way, he should get this type of body."

Therefore, it is predestined. Karmaṅā daiva-netreṅa. So prakṛteḥ kriyamāṅāni guṅaiḥ karmāṅi sarvaśaḥ [Bg 3.27].

[The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.]

That is being automatically done, because a materialistic person is associating with different types of the modes of material nature. So he is forming a certain type of body—sattvic, rajasic, tamasic. Therefore, it is predestined.

But karmāṅi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām [Bs 5.54],

[I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, who burns up to their roots all fruitive activities of those who are imbued with devotion and impartially ordains for each the due enjoyment of the fruits of one's activities, of all those who walk in the path of work, in accordance with the chain of their previously performed works, no less in the case of the tiny insect that bears the name of indragopa than in that of Indra, king of the devas.]

those who are engaged in devotional service, they are not under karma. Their destiny is being prepared by Kṛṣṅa. Even though they are supposed to be doing ordinary work, but because he has surrendered to Kṛṣṅa, his destiny is being manufactured by Kṛṣṅa Himself, not by this material nature. He is not under these material laws. Therefore he is called mukta, liberated.

māṁ ca vyabhicāreṅa bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate sa guṅān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate [Bg 14.26]

[One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.]

Anyone who is engaged fully, cent per cent, unalloyed devotional service, he is already Brahman. He is not under the material condition. Sa guṅān samatītyaitan, these guṅas, the sattva-guṅa, raja-guṅa, tamo guṅa, he has already surpassed, he has already transcended. Sa guṅān samatītyaitan: he is already on the platform of Brahman. Brahma-bhuyāya kalpate. Kalpate, this word is used. Although you find that he is working within this material world, but actually he has become already Brahman. Brahma-bhuyāya kalpate.

So any pure devotee, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11],

[One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṅa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.]

without any desire than to serve Kṛṣṅa, simply one who has dedicated his life for Kṛṣṅa, he is already on the Brahman stage. So he is not under this destiny-making material world. The destiny-making effect is in the material world everywhere working, so you are bobbing[?] your head.

Devotee (2): Suppose Kṛṣṅa knows in so many millions of births I'll have made a...

Prabhupāda: Not "suppose Kṛṣṅa knows."

Devotee (2): He knows.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee (2): But then the individual, he cannot by his efforts or something...

Prabhupāda: But Kṛṣṅa point is that you... Your point is Kṛṣṅa knows your destiny, is that [indistinct]?

Devotee (2): That's correct.

Prabhupāda: But He can change your destiny. That is Kṛṣṅa's power. Nobody can change, but He can change. Kṛṣṅa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi [Bg 18.66].

[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]

Suppose your life is full of sin, sinful actions. So your destiny is already there. But Kṛṣṅa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi, "I shall give you protection."

So He can change, why you bother? You haven't got to undergo the result of your destiny. Brahma-saṁhitā also says, karmāṅi nirdahati ca bhakti-bhājām [Bs 5.54].

[I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, who burns up to their roots all fruitive activities of those who are imbued with devotion and impartially ordains for each the due enjoyment of the fruits of one's activities, of all those who walk in the path of work, in accordance with the chain of their previously performed works, no less in the case of the tiny insect that bears the name of indragopa than in that of Indra, king of the devas.]

Bhakti-bhājām, those who are engaged in devotion, they are karmāṅi nirdahati. [end]