Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.27

Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.]

asevayāyaṁ prakṛter guṅānāṁ jñānena vairāgya-vijṛmbhitena yogena mayy arpitayā ca bhaktyā māṁ pratyag-ātmānam ihāvarundhe [SB 3.25.27]

[break] [02:30]

"Thus by not engaging in the service of the modes of material nature, but by developing Kṛṣṅa consciousness, knowledge and renunciation, and by practicing yoga in which the mind is always fixed in devotional service under the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one achieves My association in this very life, for I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth."

Prabhupāda:

asevayāyaṁ prakṛter guṅānāṁ jñānena vairāgya-vijṛmbhitena yogena mayy arpitayā ca bhaktyā māṁ pratyag-ātmānam ihāvarundhe [SB 3.25.27]

So, asevayā ayam. What is our business at the present moment? We are serving māyā in different varieties. So māyā has got three modes—sattva, rajas, tamas, or mixed. Just like the color displayer, very expert in mixing color. Actually there are three colors: blue, red and yellow. This blue, red, yellow, the color display of the mix—three into three equal to nine; nine into nine, it becomes eighty-one. So in this material world we, living entities, we are colored in this way. Three into three—sattva, raja, tamo-guṅa. Three into three equal to nine, and nine multiplied by nine, eighty-one. So there eighty-one colorful living entities are there. Somebody is human being; somebody is demigod; somebody is cat; somebody is dog; somebody is servant; somebody is tree; somebody is plant... There are 8,400,000's of forms of life. And that is our service. [dog barking in background] Just like the dog is barking. He's thinking that he is dog, so his business is barking. That means serving the laws of material nature. Similarly, somebody is serving, somebody is serving in some way, somebody—varieties.

Because we are not meant for this service. We are, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṅa-dāsa [Cc Madhya 20.108-109]. Our main business is to serve Kṛṣṅa. In Vṛndāvana, in Goloka Vṛndāvana, somebody is serving Kṛṣṅa as His friend, cowherd boy. Somebody is serving Kṛṣṅa as gopī, as lover. Somebody is serving Kṛṣṅa as father and mother, Mother Yaśodā, Nanda Mahārāja. Somebody is Kṛṣṅa's friend as servant, as tree, as water, as flower, as land, as cows, as calf. So many ways. This is our business. But somehow or other we did not like to serve Kṛṣṅa. Therefore we have been put into the service of māyā in three modes of nature. Just like a criminal. A criminal does not like to obey the laws of the state; therefore a criminal is put into the prison house and he's forced to abide by the law of the state. The state laws are there—either outside the prison house or inside the prison house. But one who does not obey ordinarily outside the jail the orders or the laws of the state, he is put into the prison house. But he cannot avoid the laws of the state. That is not possible. Because a citizen means he must abide by the laws of the state.

Similarly, we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ [Bg 15.7]. I have explained many times. So as soon as we deny to render service to Kṛṣṅa, immediately the māyā is there, captures, "All right. Come here. You serve me." This is the position. Artificially you cannot become master. That is not our nature, and that will not be happy service for us—artificial. Artificial... I have given this example: Suppose with this finger I capture some very nice foodstuff, rasagullā, and if the finger think that "I have captured the rasagullā. I shall eat." No. You cannot eat. You must put here. And then you get the benefit. And if you spoil the rasagullā in your hand and don't put into the mouth, then everything is spoiled. Similarly, we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa. Our business is to satisfy Kṛṣṅa. Eka bahu syāma. The Vedas, we understand God has become many. Many... In many ways we are also part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa. There are two kinds of manys. One many is called svāṁśa. Svāṁśa means personal expansion. And another expansion is differential expansion. The differential expansion are we, the living entities. We are also expansion of Kṛṣṅa. And the viṣṅu-tattva, They are personal expansions. But all of them are meant for serving Kṛṣṅa.

That is explained in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, ekale īśvara kṛṣṅa āra saba bhṛtya [Cc Ādi 5.142].

[Lord Kṛṣṅa alone is the supreme controller, and all others are His servants. They dance as He makes them do so.]

Kṛṣṅa has expanded. The demigods, they are also living entities like us, but they have got better position. Just like here also in the government. Ordinary living... Everyone is citizen, but somebody has got better position as the minister, as the president or some big officer. Similarly, the demigods, they are also living entities, the same thing as we are, but different body. Different... The dog has got the dog's body. He's hungry or there is some company, barking. And somebody has got minister body, he's ordering. He's in better position. And better than him somebody else, better than him somebody else, better than him somebody else. In this way you go up to Brahmā, Lord Brahmā. He also servant of Kṛṣṅa. That is the position.

So we, living entities, we are servant of Kṛṣṅa. That is our nature. That is our nature. Simply we are trying to avoid Kṛṣṅa's service. Therefore we are engaged in this māyā's service, or material nature's, under different bodies.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṅāni guṅaiḥ karmāṅi sarvaśaḥ ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate [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.]

In the Bhagavad-gītā. Prakṛteḥ. You have been put under the clutches of māyā. He's giving you as you are desiring because you are desiring, bhoga vāñchā kare. Sometimes I used to enjoy like this, enjoy like... Everyone is trying to enjoy. But enjoy means we are becoming entangled. Yajñārthe karmaṅo 'nyatra loko yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ [Bg 3.9].

[Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṅu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world. Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain unattached and free from bondage.]

If you want to enjoy with Kṛṣṅa, that is your natural propensity, and if you en..., want to enjoy life without Kṛṣṅa, that is māyā. That is māyā.

So we are trying to enjoy. Enjoyment is our business. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12].

[By nature, the Supreme Lord is blissful.]

Ānanda. Kṛṣṅa is ānandamaya, and we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa. We are also ānandamaya. But we are seeking ānanda in different atmosphere. Just like any man can become very honest citizen, do business honestly, earn money and live very honorably. But no, somebody has learned how to steal. The government does not say that you becomes thief and go to the prison house. The government does not say. But you have selected to become a thief. That is it, because we have got little independence, part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa is fully independent; therefore we have got the quality of independence. But because we are very small, minute particle, we have got minute particle of independence. Minute...

Just like you take a drop of water from the sea. There is also salt, but very minute particle. The salt is there because it is part and parcel of the big sea. It must be salty. Similarly, Brahman, Para-brahman, Kṛṣṅa, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramam... [Bg 10.12].

[Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as Nārada, Asita, Devala, and Vyāsa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me.]

So here we have got all the qualities. We are Brahman, we are pure. But Kṛṣṅa's paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramam. He's the supreme, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13].

[The Supreme Lord is eternal and the living beings are eternal. The Supreme Lord is cognizant and the living beings are cognizant. The difference is that the Supreme Lord is supplying all the necessities of life for the many other living entities.]

He's the chief, chief pavitra, chief brahma. We are also brahma, but small brahma. We are also pure. Because we are small pure, therefore we sometimes become impure. Otherwise, by nature we are pure spirit soul. Asaṅgo 'yaṁ puruṣaḥ. This is the Vedic information. The puruṣa... Puruṣa means the living entity who has come here to enjoy. Asaṅga, he has no connection with this material world, but some way or other he's thinking that "I am this matter. I have to enjoy this material world." "I am this Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am man," "I am woman," "I am cat," "I am dog," "I am tree," "I am hog..." In this way he's identifying with this material nature and enjoying or serving. He cannot enjoy. He can simply serve.

So this is the philosophy to understand, that asevayāyaṁ prakṛter guṅānām. We have to learn how to forget to serve this material nature. That is bhakti-mārga. It is forced, because we have... Kṛṣṅa-bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare [Prema-vivarta].

[When an individual soul forgets his eternal relationship with God and tries to lord it over the material nature or resources, that condition, that forgetful condition, is called māyā, or illusion.]

Some way or other we have forgotten Kṛṣṅa and trying to enjoy this material world under different position. That we have to forget. This is not my business. This is... When we understand this position, that is called self-realization, that "I am not servant of anyone. I am not servant of my country, of my society, of my friend, of my dress, of my cat, of my dog. I am nobody's servant. I am servant of Kṛṣṅa." That is self-realization. That is self-realization, asevayāyaṁ prakṛter guṅānāṁ jñānena, when one comes to this understanding—not by sentiment, but by real knowledge, jñānena.

So when one becomes devotee, he's not a fool. Pure devotee is full knowledge. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate [Bg 7.19].

[After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.]

After many, many births, when one is actually jñānavān, actually wise, he surrenders to Kṛṣṅa. How? Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ [Bg 7.19]. He surrenders to Kṛṣṅa. "Kṛṣṅa, I forgot You so long. Now I understand that You are everything." That is knowledge. That is real knowledge. Therefore it is said, jñānena vairāgya-vijṛmbhitena. This jñāna means vairāgya—no more attachment for serving the so-called society, friendship, love, country. These are all foolishly engagement. But people will not understand that. They'll think that "This is my first service. This is my first..." How long you'll serve, my dear sir? But if you serve Kṛṣṅa, this service automatically becomes possible.

Just like we are giving prasādam every week on Sunday, distributing prasādam. That is the bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga means that sympathetic to persons who are not devotee of Kṛṣṅa. Devotee or not devotee, by eating kṛṣṅa-prasādam, he'll gradually become devotee. As yesterday I explained that kṛṣṅa-bhakti begins from the tongue, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234].

[No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality and pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṅa through his materially contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, quality and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him.]

If you engage your tongue in the service of the Lord, then Lord manifests. He reveals Himself. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. How it is possible that jihvādau, beginning from the tongue? This is chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra. Jihvādau, chant Hare Kṛṣṅa. Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare [devotees join in]. Very easy. You can begin Kṛṣṅa consciousness simply by chanting. And as soon as you chant, go on chanting, then ceto-darpaṅa-mārjanam [Cc Antya 20.12].

[Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṅa, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṅa expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step.]

This is the process of cleansing the mirror of the heart. Mirror, when it isCeto-darpaṅa-mārjanam means cleansing the heart. Because all congestion, all dirty things within the heart—"I am this. I am that. I am this. I am that"—then if you chant, then gradually you'll understand that you are spirit soul; you are not Indian, nor American, nor this, nor that, nor that. This is self-realization.

Because the whole world is going on under this misunderstanding. I am thinking, "I am Indian and you are American. Why you have come in our country? You must be CIA. You must be CIA. Why you have come to our country? Formerly the Britishers also sent missionaries, and then gradually conquered, got hold of the government. Similarly, these Americans, they have also come as devotee, as CIA, and therefore their business is how to capture the government. So get out." Why this misunderstanding? Because there is no Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Because there is no Kṛṣṅa consciousness any gentleman, any sane man can understand that if these people are CIA, they have taken this Vaiṣṅava religion—they're practically having no comfort, and everything is denied, and no meat-eating, no illicit sex, no drinking, no intoxication, no gam... All no's, and accepting all no's, and they have come here as CIA? They have got no intelligence even, common intelligence. And they are trying to put all impediments: "Oh, they cannot construct this temple. They must be refused." All planning. It was raised in the Parliament that "What is these people, Hare Kṛṣṅa movement? Why... Wherefrom they are getting money, and what... They are understood to be CIA. What government is going to take action against them?"

So the reply was there by the Home Member that "We have no information that they are CIA people. Therefore there is no question of action. And their money, they are selling literature, books. They're getting money and some public contribution for foreign exchange." So the reply was that still people will accuse us in this way. So why this is possible? Because there is no Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Because they're servant of this māyā they're thinking like that. Therefore the first condition is asevayāyaṁ prakṛter guṅānām. They are dictated by the tamo-guṅa, rajo-guṅa, modes of material nature, and thinking like that. Everyone is that. This whole world is like that. They're servant of māyā, this tamo-guṅa, rajo-guṅa, and manufacturing their own way of enjoyment.

So Kṛṣṅa consciousness means completely become purified from the infection of māyā, 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.]

That is stated by Kṛṣṅa. One who is a devotee, fully engaged in Kṛṣṅa's service... So what is his position? The position is sa guṅān..., sa guṅān etān, this prakṛter guṅān. Here it is said, prakṛter guṅānām. There are three guṅas—sattva-guṅa, rajo-guṅa... So if one is engaged in devotional service, immediately he becomes transcendental to all these guṅas. Sa guṅān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. Then he becomes again in his transcendental position, Brahman. Brahma-jñāna, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is... This position he comes. And as soon as one comes to this position, brahma-jñāna, brahma-bhūta... [SB 4.30.20]. Now we are māyā-bhūta, identifying with ourself with this māyā, this prakṛti-guṅa, the modes of material nature: "I am this," "I am that," "I am this," "I am that," "I am that." But when he becomes brahma-bhūta—"I don't belong to these prakṛti-guṅās, these nature's..., these modes of material nature. I belong to the spirit soul, Supreme. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi"—this brahma-jñāna will immediately make him happy.

That is the symptom of a person who has attained brahma-jñāna.

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhakti labhate parām [Bg 18.54]

[And of all yogīs, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.]

That is the basic principle of bhakti. So here the same thing is explained, jñānena vairāgya-vijṛmbhitena. Jñānena. Therefore this class is held to awaken, jñānena. Either you read these books, hear from realized soul—that will awaken your jñāna, knowledge. Or otherwise, if you cannot do this... Both things should be done. You chant Hare Kṛṣṅa. Very simple thing.

And in the previous verse we have discussed ṛjubhir yoga-mārgaiḥ [SB 3.25.26]. Ṛju, very simple method. Ṛju means very simple. Everyone can perform it. Susukhaṁ kartum avyayam [Bg 9.2],

[This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.]

in the Bhagavad-gītā. Very happy. If you chant Hare Kṛṣṅa and dance, it is very happy thing. And by dancing, dancing, as soon as you become hungry, take prasādam, ready. So where is the trouble? Therefore it is ṛjubhir yoga-mārgaiḥ. Our Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is so nice there is no trouble only. And another thing is that there is great hope. Everything we are doing under the spell of māyā, we do not know where we are going, what is the ultimate aim. We do not know. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṅāni. We are under the spell of māyā, driven by the guṅas. You must accept. If you don't take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness and give it ourselves on the waves of māyā, then we do not know where we are going. The Caitanya..., Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, māyār bośe, jāccho bhese', khāccho hābuḍubu bhāi. Just like a straw in the waves of the ocean or the river, it is fully under the control of the waves—sometimes diving, sometimes coming out, sometimes going this way, going that. Our position is like that. We do not know that prakṛteḥ kriyamāṅāni [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.]

Under the material nature we are being carried by the waves of material nature, and you do not know where you are going, because you have no control.

So if you want controlling the material nature, then you have to surrender to Kṛṣṅa. That is stated, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te [Bg 7.14].

[This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.]

Otherwise you are carried by māyā. You may be very big prime minister or anything, but as soon as māyā will dictate, "Please vacate your post and go away," you become a dog. You have to become. How you can challenge prakṛti? That is not possible. Because 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.]

Your next body will be offered to you. Therefore the atheist class man, this shudder[?], there is next life. Because his life is sinful, if there is next life, he will be punished, he will be put into abominable condition of life. He does not like to think like that, but that does not mean that he escape. There is a Bengali proverb that gaye gumakhale [indistinct], that one body, one person, he thought that "I have done so much sinful activities that Yamarāja will come and capture me and punish me. So what is the way to avoid him?" So he thought that "Let me smear over my body stool so he'll not touch me." [laughing]

So that is not possible, sir. You are under the control of māyā, material nature. You try to avoid it some way or other, but it is not possible. It is not possible. According to the infection... Just like if you have infected some disease, artificial means will not save you. You must develop that disease and must suffer. There is no way out. Simply way out is that if you take precaution, some vaccine, some injection, then you may avoid. Similarly, cannot... It is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: daivī hy eṣā guṅamayī mama māyā duratyayā [Bg 7.14]. You cannot avoid the hands of māyā upon you, or material nature. We call "māyā," and the modern scientific word is "material nature." Completely under. You cannot avoid it. But mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te [Bg 7.14]. If you surrender to Kṛṣṅa... "Well, Kṛṣṅa will save me? I am so much sinful?" Yes. Kṛṣṅa can do that. Kṛṣṅa says,

sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ... 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.]

So why don't you do that? Why you are so much eager to serve the modes of material nature? Why not serve Kṛṣṅa? Here is Kṛṣṅa. Where is the difficulty? No difficulty at all. Just there's Kṛṣṅa. Just give Kṛṣṅa nice foodstuff. Just chant Hare Kṛṣṅa. You eat sumptuously and keep your health very good, nicely. Where is the difficulty? Mām eva ye... This is very difficult? The only difficulty is that I cannot give up all these sinful activities. I cannot give up smoking. I cannot give up drinking. I cannot give up meat-eating. I cannot give up gambling. I cannot give up illicit sex. That is difficulty. Otherwise, to serve Kṛṣṅa is not at all difficult. There is no difficulty. But I cannot give up the service of my sinful activities.

Therefore here it is said, asevayāyaṁ prakṛter guṅānām. That you have to learn. That you can learn very easily if you turn your attention to the service... Therefore this bhakti-yoga service. We are simply insisting: get up early in the morning, do this service, do that... In this way, if we engage ourselves in the service of Kṛṣṅa, gradually we shall forget the service of māyā. The service of māyā means sinful activities, that's all. So, so long we are in the service of māyā, duṣkṛtinām, engaged in sinful activities, it is not possible. But if you engage the positive and the negative... The Māyāvādī, they are simply trying to be negative. There is no positive engagement. But here in the bhakti-yoga, negative is there and positive is there. Therefore there is electric light bulb, negative and positive. Therefore there is enlightenment. Simply negative will not help you. And if you don't care of the negative sides, simply positive also will not. But bhakti-yoga is so strong, if you take to the positive side of service of Kṛṣṅa, the material service, or māyā's service, will automatically become negative. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt [SB 11.2.42].

[Devotion, direct experience of the Supreme Lord, and detachment from other things—these three occur simultaneously for one who has taken shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the same way that pleasure, nourishment and relief from hunger come simultaneously and increasingly, with each bite, for a person engaged in eating.]

That is called vairāgya. The bhakti-yoga means vairāgya-yoga.

Vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam. This was composed by Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. When he understood Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he wrote this verse, vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga-śikṣārtham ekaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṅaḥ [Cc Madhya 6.254]. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is that purāṅa-puruṣa, Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa is the original. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravar... [Bg 10.8].

[I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.]

Everything has come from Kṛṣṅa; therefore He's purāṅa, the oldest. Oldest. Nobody can be older than Kṛṣṅa, but He's always young. That is Bhagavān. Advaitam acyutam anādi. Anādi. He has no ādi. He's ādi. Ādi means the original.

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṅaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṅa-kāraṅam [Bs 5.1]

[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.]

He's the cause of all causes. So this purāṅa-puruṣa, Kṛṣṅa, He's the oldest. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṅa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca [Bs 5.33].

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is inaccessible to the Vedas, but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the soul, who is without a second, who is not subject to decay, is without a beginning, whose form is endless, who is the beginning, and the eternal puruṣa; yet He is a person possessing the beauty of blooming youth.]

That is Kṛṣṅa. You'll never see Kṛṣṅa's picture as old man. No. Has anyone seen Kṛṣṅa as old man? No. Nava-yauvanam ca, always fresh, youthful life. The same. You have seen the picture of Kurukṣetra battle. Kṛṣṅa was sitting... At that time He was great-grandfather, but He was looking like twenty years old, young boy. That is Kṛṣṅa.

So we also become like Kṛṣṅa. In the Vaikuṅṭhaloka, the inhabitants, there are also living entities. Just like in this, within this universe, material universe, there are living entities—there are also living entities, but they are in spiritual body, the same form of body as Kṛṣṅa. You have... You will read in the Sixth Canto of Bhāgavata, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Ajāmila, the vaikuṅṭha-dūta came from Ajāmila..., er, to take Ajāmila. They are also four-handed, very beautiful body. That is Vaikuṅṭhaloka. But in Kṛṣṅaloka they are two-handed. So in the spiritual world there are so many varieties—four-handed, two-handed living entity. They're all nitya-mukta. They're everlastingly liberated. So we have been just like a prisoner is. Although he's a prisoner, he can be also good citizen. There is no hopelessness. Similarly, we are now prisoner in this material world, and we have got this material body. Therefore we are changing: sometimes young, sometimes old, sometimes these boys, sometimes... But tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [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.]

if you become Kṛṣṅa conscious, then, after leaving this body, you're not any more getting this material body. That is stated. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti. Then what happens? Mām eti: he comes to back to home, back to Godhead. And as soon as you go, you get your original, spiritual body, same beautiful body as Kṛṣṅa has, as Nārāyaṅa has. This is the opportunity.

So why should we not take this opportunity of human life, take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness and become devotee of Kṛṣṅa and make our life? Therefore it is said here, pratyag-ātmānam ihāvarundhate. In this life you can get this opportunity simply by following the bhakti-yoga process. Yogena mayy arpitayā ca bhaktyā. That is required. You learn how to become a bhakta. Simply practicing śravaṅaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṅoḥ smaraṅaṁ pāda-sevanam, arcanam... [SB 7.5.23],

[Prahlāda Mahārāja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Viṣṅu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one's best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words)—these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Kṛṣṅa through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge.]

any of them. Either this nine processes or eight or seven or six or five or four. Take at least one, and make your life successful. Everyone can... Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore prescribed the most important one—śravaṅam, simply hear. That's all. That will make your life successful.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Haribol. [end]