Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.9

Pradyumna: Translation: "Prahlāda Mahārāja continued: One may possess wealth, an aristocratic family, beauty, austerity, education, sensory expertise, luster, influence, physical strength, diligence, intelligence and mystic yogic powers, but I think that even by all these qualifications one cannot satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, one can satisfy the Lord simply by devotional service. Gajendra did this, and thus the Lord was satisfied with him."

Prabhupāda:

manye dhanābhijana-rūpa-tapaḥ-śrutaujas- tejaḥ-prabhāva-bala-pauruṣa-buddhi-yogāḥ nārādhanāya hi bhavanti parasya puṁso bhaktyā tutoṣa bhagavān gaja-yūtha-pāya [SB 7.9.9]

So these are material assets. [aside:] It's not working? [bumps microphone] Hmm? Wealth, dhana... Nobody can captivate Kṛṣṅa by all these material possessions. These are material possessions: money, then manpower, beauty, education, austerity, mystic power and so on, so on. There are so many things. They are not capable of approaching the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṅa personally says, 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.]

He doesn't say all these material possessions, that "If one is very rich man, he can have My favor." No. Kṛṣṅa is not a poor man like me, that if somebody gives me some money, I become benefited. He's self-sufficient, ātmārāma. So there is no need of any help from anyone else. He's fully satisfied, ātmārāma. Only bhakti, love, that is required.

Bhakti means to serve Kṛṣṅa. That is without any purpose. Ahaituky apratihatā. That bhakti, unalloyed. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam [Cc Madhya 19.167, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11]. Everywhere this is the statement of the śāstra, that bhakti should be unalloyed.

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna karmādy-anāvṛtam ānukūlyena kṛṣṅānu- śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā [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.]

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat paratvena nirmalam hṛṣīkeṅa hṛṣīkeśa sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate [Cc Madhya 19.170]

[Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one’s senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.]

There are so many other definition. And if we have bhakti, love for Kṛṣṅa, then we don't require huge amount of money or strength or education or austerity. Nothing of the sort. Kṛṣṅa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati [Bg 9.26].

[If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.]

He doesn't require anything from us, but He wants everyone that because he is part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa, He wants to see that everyone is obedient to Him, everyone loves Him. That is His aspiration. Just like the father is very rich man. He doesn't require any help from his son, but he aspires that his son should be obedient and lover. That is his satisfaction. That is the whole situation. Kṛṣṅa has created... Eko bahu śyāma. We are vibhinnāṁśa—mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ [Bg 15.7]—part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa, every one of us. So everyone has got some duty. Kṛṣṅa has created us, expecting something to be done by us for satisfaction of Kṛṣṅa. That is bhakti. So that, our opportunity, is obtained in this human form of life. We should not waste our valuable time in any other occupation or business. Simply inquire and be ready how to serve Kṛṣṅa. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṅānuśīla. Ānukūla. Not your satisfaction but Kṛṣṅa's satisfaction. That is called ānukūla, favorable. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṅānuśīlanam [Cc Madhya 19.167].

[When first-class devotional service develops, one must be devoid of all material desires, knowledge obtained by monistic philosophy, and fruitive action. The devotee must constantly serve Kṛṣṅa favorably, as Kṛṣṅa desires.]

And anuśīlanam means activity, not that "In trance I am in meditation." That is also... Something is better than nothing, but real devotional service is activity. One must be active, and the best activity is to preach the glory of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the best activity. Na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me prīya-kṛttamaḥ [Bg 18.69].

So our this movement is based on practical activity. Whatever talent you have got, whatever little strength you have got, education you have got... You haven't got to learn anything. Whatever you have got, in whatever position you are, you can serve Kṛṣṅa. Not that you have to learn something first and then you can serve. No. The service itself is learning. The more you try to render service, the more you become advanced how to become experienced servant. We don't require any extra intelligence. Otherwise... The example is gaja-yūtha-pāya. The elephant, the king of the elephant, he satisfied. He's an animal. He's not a brāhmaṅa. He's not a Vedantist. May be very big, fatty animal, [chuckles] but after all, he's animal. Hanuman was animal. There are many such things. Jaṭāyu was a bird. So how they satisfied? The Jaṭāyu fought with Rāvaṅa. Yesterday you saw. Rāvaṅa was kidnapping Sītā devi, and Jaṭāyu, the bird, he was going, flying. Rāvaṅa knew how to fly without machine. He was very, very materially powerful. So the Jaṭāyu attacked him on the sky: "Who are you? You are taking away Sītā. I shall fight you." So Rāvaṅa was very powerful. He was defeated, Jaṭāyu, but he fought. That is his service. Never mind defeated. Similarly, we have to fight. Those who are opposing Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, we have to fight with them to our best capacity. Never mind if we are defeated. That is also service. Kṛṣṅa sees the service. Defeated or victorious, depend on Kṛṣṅa. But fighting must be there. Karmaṅy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana [Bg 2.47].

[You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.]

That is the meaning. You have to work for Kṛṣṅa sincerely, intelligently, and victory or defeat, it doesn't matter. Just like Jaṭāyu was defeated fighting with Rāvaṅa. His wings were cut off. Rāvaṅa was very strong. And Lord Rāmacandra, He did his last funeral ceremonies because he was a devotee. This is the process, not that we have to learn something extra. Whatever capacity we have got, let us decide to render service to the Lord. It doesn't require that you must be very rich or very beautiful, very bodily strong. Nothing of the sort. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ahaituky apratihatā [SB 1.2.6].

[The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.]

In any condition, your devotional service should not be stopped. That should be the principle, that we are not going to stop, any circumstance. And Kṛṣṅa is prepared even to accept a little flower, little water. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ [Bg 9.26].

[If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.]

He doesn't say, "Give Me very luxurious and palatable dishes. Then I'll...," He'll be satisfied. No. The real necessity is bhakti. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. This is real necessity—bhaktyā. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś ca... [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.]

Therefore we have to develop our bhakti, love for Kṛṣṅa. Premā pumartho mahān, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised. People are after dharma artha-kama mokṣa, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "No, even if you become liberated, mokṣa, that is not the qualification to get favor of Kṛṣṅa." Prema pumartho mahan. Pancama-puruṣartha. People are trying to be very religious. That is good. Then economic. Dharma artha. Artha means economically very rich, opulent. Then kāma, very expert in sense enjoyment. And then mukti. This is general demand. But Bhāgavata says, "No, these things are not qualification." Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra [SB 1.1.2].

[Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāṅa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyāsadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhāgavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.]

Śrīdhara Swāmī has said that mukti is also another cheating. Why mukti? Kṛṣṅa does not demand that "Unless you are mukta, liberated, you cannot serve." No. You can serve in any condition. Ahaituky apratihatā. Not that because first of all we have to become liberated. Because as soon as you begin bhakti, you are already liberated. The platform is so great that a bhakta, without any other ultra-motive, he's already liberated. Brahma-bhūyāya sa kalpate.

māṁ ca ya 'vyabhicāreṅi 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.]

Immediately.

sarva dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi... [Bg 18.66]

So if Kṛṣṅa takes charge of vanquishing all your reaction of sinful life, that means immediately you are mukta, you are liberated.

Liberation means... We are entangled in this material world because we are creating one after another entanglement. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma [SB 5.5.4]. Because we are in such a position that we have to act obversely, not properly, even if you do not desire... Even if you are very careful not to kill even an ant, still, unperceptibly, imperceptibly, you, while walking, you kill so many ants. And don't think that you are not sinful for that purpose. You become sinful. Especially those who are nondevotees, they must be responsible for killing so many small creatures while walking or while... There is waterpot, you have seen. So many small animals are there. Even by moving the waterpot, you kill so many living entities. While igniting fire in the oven, there are so many living entities. You kill them. So consciously, unconsciously, we are in such a position in this material world that we have to commit sinful activities even if we are very, very careful. You have seen the Jains, they are after nonviolence. You'll find they keep a cloth like this so that the small insects may not enter the mouth. But these are artificial. You cannot check. In the air there are so many living entities. In the water there are so many living entities. We drink water. You cannot check it. It is not possible. But if you keep yourself fixed up in devotional service, then you are not bound.

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 your life is dedicated for yajña, for serving Kṛṣṅa, then the inevitable sinful activities which we commit without any knowledge, we are not responsible. Manye mithe kṛtaṁ pāpaṁ puṅyaya eva kalpate. So our life should be dedicated simply for Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Then we are safe. Otherwise we must be entangled with so many reaction of our activities and bound up in the repetition of birth and death. Mām aprāpya nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani [Bg 9.3].

[Those who are not faithful in this devotional service cannot attain Me, O conqueror of enemies. Therefore they return to the path of birth and death in this material world.]

nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṅoti na sādhu manye yato ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ [SB 5.5.4]

The safest position is let us always be engaged in Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Then we make spiritually advance and safe from the reaction of sinful life.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja thought it that, although he was born in a family, asura family, ugra, ugra-jātam, still, if he decides to serve Kṛṣṅa, Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, with bhakti, following the footprints of gaja-yūtha pāya, the king of elephant... He was animal. You know the story, that he was attacked by a crocodile in the water. So there was struggle for existence between the two, and after all, the crocodile is the animal in the water; he had great strength. And the elephant, although he's also very big, powerful animal, but he was not a animal of the water, so he was very helpless. So at last, he began to chant the holy name of the Lord and prayed, so he was saved. He was saved, and because the crocodile caught up the leg of the elephant, he was also saved because he was Vaiṣṅava. And this animal, crocodile, he was under the feet of a Vaiṣṅava, so he was also saved. [laughter] This is the story, you know. So therefore, chāḍiyā vaiṣṅava sevā. He indirectly gave service to the Vaiṣṅava, and he also became delivered.

So bhakti is so nice thing that very easily you can get favor of the Supreme Person. And if Kṛṣṅa is pleased upon you, then what remains? Everything you get. Everything you get. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam eva vijñātaṁ bhavanti [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3].

[If one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the controller of all controllers, one can understand everything else.]

Easiest way to please Kṛṣṅa... You don't require much money, much education, and nothing of the sort. Simply you require your heart: "O Kṛṣṅa, You are my Lord. You are my master eternally. I am Your servant eternally. Let me be engaged in Your service." That is Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa, Hare Hare/ [devotees chant] Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. This is the meaning of Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra: "O Kṛṣṅa, O energy of Kṛṣṅa, I am Your servant. Somehow or other I have now fallen in this material condition. Kindly pick me up and engage me in service." Ayi nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ māṁ viṣame bhavaṁ budhau. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching us. Bhavaṁ budhau. This material world is just like a great ocean, bhava. Bhava means repetition of birth and death, and āmbu means āmbudhau, means in the sea, in the ocean. So we are struggling hard for existence in this ocean. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ayi nanda tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ mām: "I am Your servant eternal. Somehow or other I have fallen in this ocean and struggling. Pick Me up." Ayi nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ mām viṣame bhavāmbudhau kṛpāya. By Your causeless mercy...

ayi nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau kṛpāya tava pāda-paṅkaja-sthita-dhūlī sadṛśsaṁ vicintaya [Cc Antya 20.32, Śikṣāṣṭaka 5]

[O My Lord, O Kṛṣṅa, son of Mahārāja Nanda, I am Your eternal servant, but because of My own fruitive acts I have fallen into this horrible ocean of nescience. Now please be causelessly merciful to Me. Consider Me a particle of dust at Your lotus feet.]

This is bhakti-mārga, devotional service, to become very humble, meek, always pray to Kṛṣṅa, "Kindly consider me as one of the particle of the dust of the lotus feet of Your Lordship," this very simple thing. Man-manā. In this way think of Kṛṣṅa, become His devotee, offer obeisances, and whatever patraṁ puṣpaṁ, little flower, water, you can provide, offer to Kṛṣṅa. In this way live very peacefully and be happy.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. [end]