Go to Vaniquotes | Go to Vanipedia | Go to Vanimedia


Vanisource - the complete essence of Vedic knowledge


710801 - Lecture SB 06.01.15 - New York

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada




710801SB-NEW_YORK - August 01, 1971 - 48:41 Minutes



Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. So we are not going to be misled by anyone. We simply worship the original person, ādi-puruṣa. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi.

kecit kevalayā bhaktyā
vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ
aghaṁ dhunvanti kārtsnyena
nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ
(SB 6.1.15)

Śrīdhara Svāmī is giving his commentation in this connection, that tasya ati duṣkarād mukham eva anyāt prāyaścittaṁ kecit kīrtanena, evaṁ mūḍho bhakti pradhāna virala iti darśayet. Kevalayā tapa-ādibhir nirapekṣaya. Śrīdhara Svāmī's explaining this word, kevalayā, "simply by devotional service," kevalayā bhaktyā—but without being dependent on other processes. The other processes we have described: tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena damena (SB 6.1.13), by observing celibacy.

Now take for example celibacy. In this age especially . . . why especially in this or that? All over the world, to remain a brahmacārī is little difficult. One who can, it is very good. But it is difficult. So brahmacaryeṇa, by practicing celibacy, a life of celibacy, even one has the intention, the association, the society is so much polluted that one cannot. It is very difficult.

So in bhakti-yoga it is not very strict that one has to observe celibacy strictly. He can marry. Marriage is allowed, but not for indulgence. But because a man requires a woman or a woman requires a man, there is sacred marriage. This man and woman is educated that he or she is not this body. Therefore advancement of this education will stop him for this bodily enjoyment.

Just like eating also. We are eating; we are not fasting. We are eating. But we are eating just to maintain the body and soul together, not extravagantly. Although we have very nice plates, kṛṣṇa-prasādam, but we do not make any palatable dishes for enjoyment. We make all nice things for Kṛṣṇa, and we take prasādam. Therefore the material effect of eating, it does not act upon the devotees.

So therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī says: "By one stroke, kevalayā—without waiting for the austerity, undergoing severe penance, austerity, celibacy, controlling the mind, controlling the senses, and giving in charity, performing great sacrifices, to become . . . becoming very truthful, clean—but without waiting for all these things, simply by one stroke, accepting Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one immediately ascends the highest position."

There is ample proof in our Society. They had never any austerity, penance or celibacy or they tried to control the senses or mind or they gave any big amount of charities or they observed cleanliness. Nothing of the sort. But immediately, simply by accepting Kṛṣṇa consciousness, just see how they are nice. Practical proof. Now bring any yogī, any jñānī, any person undergoing severe penances, and compare with these boys and girls. He'll fail.

This is practical. Simply by accepting this devotional service, kevalayā-bhakti, without waiting for the other penance. They're already under penance. They're already leading the life of celibacy. They have already controlled the senses. They have already controlled the mind. They're giving in charity. Whatever they have, they're giving to Kṛṣṇa. Dānena, tyāgena, tyāga. They have given their life. What to speak of money and other things, they have given their whole life for Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, how this movement is improving?

If I . . . I came here alone. Still, no Indians helping me. There may be one or two of my disciples. Others . . . there are so many Indians in this country; they're not helping me. But these boys, these girls, because they have come to the transcendental platform, they're helping me so nicely. Therefore the movement is going forward. This is practical. Kevalayā bhaktyā. Simply by taking to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service.

It is just like, I sometimes give example: the blacksmith's method and the goldsmith's method. The goldsmith, he has got a small hammer—tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk,-tuk-tuk. And the blacksmith has a big hammer—dumh, finish. (laughter) So our is blacksmith method. We take the big hammer of bhakti-yoga and finish all, everything. You see? We won't have to undergo so many tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk.

And there is no possibility. If I say: "Now you have to become completely a brahmacārī. You have to sit down in the forest and stay at right angle and press your nose for six months," who will follow? There is no possibility. This tuk-tuk method, there is no possibility. We have to get this hammer, blacksmith hammer of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and immediately finish everything. This is Kali-yuga.

Simply one . . . who can do this? This one hammer, finishing all sinful reaction, who can do this? Vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ. Bhaktyā vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ. By devotional service one has to become vāsudeva-parāyaṇa, devotee of Lord Vāsudeva. That's all. That is being taught here: how to become lover of Vāsudeva.

This prescribed method, that rise early in the morning, have maṅgala-ārātrika, kīrtana, then bhoga-ārātrika, kīrtana, then go to the street saṅkīrtana, then come back, again kīrtana, again ārātrika—simply engaged in Vāsudeva's service. That includes everything—all these austerity, penance, charity and cleanliness . . . they're clean. They're taking bath every day three times, at least two times they are taking bath, although previous to this, perhaps weekly they were taking once bath. (laughter) (chuckles) You see? So how they have become? This is practical proof. Vāsudeva-parāyaṇa.

Therefore whole people of the world should be made vāsudeva-parāyaṇa by the simple method of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and they will be all peaceful. It will become Vaikuṇṭha. Otherwise it is hellish. It is . . . has already become a hell, the whole world. And if you don't take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this hellish condition of life will simply make progress, in spite of all your education and economic development. That's a fact. Those who are thoughtful, they should take this movement very seriously. They should try to understand what is the value of this movement. It is not that something manufactured by me or by my men. It is authoritative. Here it is said: bhaktyā vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ.

Aghaṁ dhunvanti kārtsnyena: they become able, quite competent, to cut down all sinful reactions simply by one method, kārtsnyena. How? Nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ. Bhāskara means sun. As soon as there is sunrise, the mist or the fog immediately disappears. Many thousands of miles. People in the mist, in the fog, they cannot run on railway, they cannot run on the aeroplanes. And I've seen, I've experienced, yesterday practically our plane was lost in the fog, and high in the sky.

And I've seen in the sea also, as soon as there is fog . . . when I was coming to your country on ship, the ship stops and they began to bugle: gohn-gohn-gohn-gohn, like that. But as soon as there is sun, this thousands miles of fog immediately disappears. The example is very nice: nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ.

So you try to make Kṛṣṇa sun rise in your heart. Kṛṣṇa sūrya-sama (CC Madhya 22.31). In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said Kṛṣṇa is just like sun. Māyā haya andhakāra. And māyā, this illusory energy, it is darkness. Yāhāṅ kṛṣṇa tāhāṅ nāhi māyāra adhikāra (CC Madhya 22.31). As soon as there is sun, Kṛṣṇa, immediately darkness of māyā disappears.

So why not take this simple method? All māyā disappears. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Otherwise, to surpass, to overcome this ocean of darkness, māyā, is very difficult. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā. Duratyayā, very, very difficult. Hard. Then how? Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). Simply teach people to surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, God. All illusion, fog, mist will disappear. Will disappear.

And the method is very simple: chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa . . . the more you go on chanting, the . . . the fog within your heart, the clumsy darkness of many, many lives' sinful activities, will be cleared. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). And everything will be seen very distinctly. What I am. What is God. What is this world. What is our interrelation. How I shall live in this world. Then what is my next life. These things are not taught. Simply how to manufacture something for sense gratification. After all, it is sense gratification.

You may discover . . . the other day somebody was telling me in Los Angeles that they have discovered an aeroplane which can run on very, I mean, speedily. But there is danger. As soon as the aeroplane will run on, there may be many windows here in the city, they'll dismantle. So we are trying to create something for sense gratification—at the same time, side by side, we are creating so many inconvenience. In this way, our time is being wasted. Action and reaction. Action and reaction.

There must be some reaction. Whatever you do, there must be reaction. And that reaction you'll be entangled. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: yajñārthe karma anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). Either you do good work or bad work, if it is for sense gratification, then you'll be entangled. But yajñārthe karma, if you do for kṛṣṇa-yajña, then you are free. So this process, recommended by Śukadeva Gosvāmī—kevalayā-bhakta—take to devotional service, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and everything, all other things, will be automatically adjusted.

na tathā hy aghavān rājan
pūyeta tapa-ādibhiḥ
yathā kṛṣṇārpita-prāṇas
tat-puruṣa-niṣevayā
(SB 6.1.16)

Now he clearly summarizes: na tathā hy aghavān. Hy aghavān means one who is sinful. Every one of us sinful, more or less. That's all. Otherwise, unless you are sinful, you don't get this material body. As soon as we are free from sinful life, then we are liberated. We are transferred to the spiritual world, and we get spiritual body. The whole process is how to cleanse ourself from the contamination of our sinful life. That is material world.

So here, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says that na tathā hy aghavān rājan. "My dear King," rājan—he's addressing the king, rājan—hy aghavān, "those who are sinful . . ." rājan na tathā hy aghavān rājan pūyeta. Pūyeta means becomes purified from contamination. Tapa-ādibhiḥ. Tapa-ādibhiḥ . . . tapa means this austerity, beginning from austerity, tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena damena ca (SB 6.1.13). I've described. We have discussed. He says that one cannot be completely purified by executing these process of purificatory methods. Na tathā. Maybe.

Just like there are many examples. There are Dhruva . . . Viśvāmitra Muni. He undergone all this tapasya. He was a kṣatriya. He wanted to become a brahmin. There was a quarrel between him and a ṛṣi. So he saw the extraordinary power of the ṛṣi, and he wanted to become a brahmin. So he began austerity. But he became also a victim of Menakā, the society girl of heavenly planet. And being entangled, he begot a child. In this way he became implicated, because he was not pure.

So here it is said that even if you perform austerity, penances, the worldly circumstances are so implicated that it will involve you some way or other again into the material modes of nature. There are many instances. Many sannyāsīs, they give up this world that it is mithyā—all false, "Let me take to Brahman." But again they become implicated to philanthropic work, welfare activities. If this world is false, why you are attracted to the welfare activities? If it is false in your opinion . . .

We say it is not false. Our philosophy is . . . we don't say that the world is false, we say the world is temporary. How it can be false? If God created this world, if God is true, how His creation can be false? We don't approve this philosophy. We accept that this is not false, but this is temporary. And because it is creation of God, because He's Absolute Truth, it is also true. Simply we are seeing it otherwise.

Just like I'm claiming something within this world as my property. That is false. But this is someone's property—that is fact. That is God's property. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Not that the property is false. Just like this house, this building, this nice room, it is so nicely decorated; there is electric light. If somebody says: "It is false," how it is false? It is not false. Why I shall say false?

Why I shall discourage the persons who are using this room as . . . for their devotional service, they're making progress . . .? How we can say it is false? It is not false. The false is when I claim that, "This is my house." That is false. That is false. That (is) my false, puffed-up consciousness that, "I am the proprietor. I am the master. I am God." This is false.

Just like first of all we want to become a proprietor, then master, then minister, then president, then God. When everything fails, then "I am God." The same tendency is there—that I want to become the greatest. But how you can be the greatest? God is greatest. You are always smallest. That is . . . that smallest is thinking greatest, that is false. The smallness is not false. The greatness is not false. But when the small thinks as great, that is false. That is māyā.

So long one is in māyā . . . now our beginning is that we accept immediately the great, the great, and the small, the small. We understand from the Vedic literature, mahato mahīyān aṇor aṇīyān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.20). Aṇu means atom. The atom, he is, the Brahma, or the spirit, is smaller than the atom. Aṇor aṇīyān: still smaller. And mahato mahīyān: and the greater than the greatest. We have the conception of the greatest, the sky. But Kṛṣṇa showed that millions of skies were within His mouth. So therefore mahato mahīyān.

So actually we, the living entities, we are part and parcel of God, but we are very minute quantity, infinitesimal. And God is infinite. So infinitesimal, our magnitude is, I've several times explained, one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair. So you cannot even imagine with your material senses. Therefore aṇor aṇīyān, smaller than the atom. The same thing—we are also spirit, and Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord, is also spirit. Qualitatively we are one. But we are the smallest and He is the greatest.

So we accept it immediately from the Vedic information. Therefore our position is sane. We do not falsely declare that, "I am God." Just give proof that you are God, then claim. But some rascal claims that he's God, and other rascals, they accept that he's God. God is not so cheap. God, as we get description from Brahma-saṁhitā, yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48): many millions of universes are coming out from the exhaling of God, and again they are disappearing by inhaling of God. That is God. By simply breathing, millions of universes are being created, and millions of universes are being dissolved simply by inhaling. This is going on. So how we can claim?

So our this unnecessary, puffed-up claim is not there. Therefore we are already liberated. We don't have to seek for liberation. Liberation means to become liberated from these nonsense, false ideas. That is liberation. As soon as we think that, "I am this body," I'm not liberated. And as soon as I know perfectly well that, "I am not this body," I am liberated. This knowledge gives liberation. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, prāyaścittaṁ vimarśanam. To develop your knowledge, that will give you relief.

So our knowledge is perfect because we know that we are very small particle of spiritual spark. That is our constitutional position. And God is the Supreme, the greatest spiritual identity. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). He's supplying all the necessities of the small spiritual sparks. Because we know rightly, and as we are part and parcel of God, minute particles, therefore our duty is to serve God. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body, this finger is not enjoyer. The body, or the chief place in the body, the stomach, he's the enjoyer. Similarly, God is the center of all creation, the whole universal body. Therefore He's enjoyer, we are servitor.

So our conception is very clear; therefore we are liberated. Liberation means to become free from all false conception of life. That is liberation. Liberation does not mean that you have got now two hands and, as soon as you are liberated, you'll have ten hands. No. Liberation means that you become free from all nonsensical, false conception of life. That is liberation. That is the definition given in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, what is liberation. Muktir hitvā anyathā rūpam. Mukti means to give up, anyathā rūpam. As we are now living under some false conception, so when one gives up this all false conception, that is called mukti. Muktir hitvā anyathā rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ (SB 2.10.6). And when one is situated in his original, constitutional position, giving up all false notions, he's liberated. That is liberation.

Liberation is not very difficult. Simply . . . there is another verse, that by awakening knowledge one becomes liberated immediately. But, but what is that knowledge? This knowledge is very simple: God is great; we are small. We are His part and parcel; therefore it is our duty to serve Him. Two lines—liberation. Instead of undergoing so much difficult processes, if simply you understand these two lines—God is great, I am very small, and He is the supreme proprietor, or master. He is supplying us all necessities of life, therefore our duty is to serve Him. That's all.

Now, if anyone present here can challenge this statement? Is there anyone? No. You cannot challenge. This is the fact. Simply we are under false impression that, "I am this," "I am that," and lastly, "I am God. I am God." What kind of God you are? (chuckles) If you get immediately little toothache, you go to physician-god, (laughter) the dentist-god and you're claiming that you are God. This is called māyā. This is called māyā. There is a verse that:

piśācī pāile yena mati-cchanna haya
māyā-grasta jīvera haya se bhāva udaya
(Prema-vivarta)

Piśācī means ghost. When one man is ghostly haunted, he speaks so many nonsense. Similarly, when one is entangled by the illusory energy, māyā, he also speaks all nonsense. At last he speaks that "I am God." That is the last snare of māyā.

So they are not . . . they cannot be liberated, because they are under the false impression still. Anyone who is under the false impression, or anyone who is attracted by false knowledge, he's under the clutches of māyā. When there is right knowledge, right conception of life, then one is liberated. That is called brahma-bhūta (BG 18.54).

And Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54): as soon as you get right knowledge, you become jolly. First jolliness is due to, "Oh, I was in such false notion so long. Oh, how fool I was." Then you become happy, that "Now I am no longer fool. I was thinking that I'm God. But now I can understand that I am God's eternal servant." That gives him liberation, and he becomes prasannātmā, jolly. Because that is the right situation.

Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā, na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). Na śocati: he has no lamentation. Because if anyone knows that "I am a small particle, spiritual spark, and protected by the Supreme Lord," then where there is scope of my lamentation? Just like a small child, so long he knows that, "My father is standing by me; I am free. Nobody can touch my body . . ." Because he's confident that if there is any danger, "My father is there." Similarly, this surrender means completely to have faith that, "I have no danger, because God, Kṛṣṇa, is protecting me. I am now fully surrendered, prasannātmā." That is called prasannātmā.

Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). He has no lamentation, and he has no desire also. Na śo . . . na kāṅkṣati. He's hankering after something. The whole material world, one who is not God conscious is simply hankering, hankering. Or, if he loses something, he's lamenting. That is two business are there. But a God conscious person, Kṛṣṇa conscious person, has no lamentation, no hankering. If anything is lost, he knows that it is God's wish, "God desired this. That's all right." And he knows that "Everything is provided by God; why shall I hanker?" Na śocati na kāṅkṣati.

Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Then universal brotherhood, "As I am part and parcel of God, my brother is also, my friend is also, the dog is also like that, the cow is also like that. They're all part and parcel of God as spirit, as spiritual spark. Therefore they're all equal. Why shall I envy him? Why shall I utilize him? Why shall I trouble him?" So these good consciousness, good qualities, automatically develop. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ (SB 5.18.12). Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā. Anyone who has developed Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all the good qualities of the demigods will manifest in his body.

yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā
sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ
(SB 5.18.12)

The demigods are supposed to be very highly qualified. So all the godly or demigodly qualities will manifest. They are . . . vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca. The Vaiṣṇava becomes the ocean of mercy to others. They're going door to door: "Please be Kṛṣṇa conscious. You'll be happy." Actually, that is the fact. So who can be merciful than these Vaiṣṇavas? They are giving the right contribution to the society. They need it.

So simply by God consciousness, simply by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we can develop all the good qualities, we can conquer over all reactions of our sinful life. Simply we have to follow the regulative principles as they're enjoined by the ācāryas, as they're . . . very simple method. And by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra as much as possible, then we keep the standard. We keep the standard means we keep ourself in liberated state. Simply we have to be cautious that māyā, or material conception of life, may not again attack us.

So (he) says, na tathā hy aghavān rājan pūyeta tapa-ādibhiḥ, yathā kṛṣṇārpita-prāṇaḥ. Anyone who has dedicated himself, his life, to Kṛṣṇa, na ta . . . yathā kṛṣṇārpita-prāṇas tat-puruṣa-niṣevayā . . . how one can become dedicated to Kṛṣṇa? Tat-puruṣa-niṣevayā. That Supreme Personality being served. Being served. Niṣevayā: by serving. You can . . . you can, simply by lips . . .

But you cannot say that, "Now I have dedicated my life to Kṛṣṇa." No. That's all right. But you have to keep the standard of surrender by niṣevayā, by serving. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva (Brs. 1.2.234). As you serve, as you go on serving the Supreme Lord, so He becomes revealed within your . . . He's within your heart. So by your service He'll reveal Himself.

So kṛṣṇārpita-prāṇas tat-puruṣa-niṣevayā (SB 6.1.16). We should remember this, that our business is that we should be dedicated to Kṛṣṇa. Our life, our everything, should be dedicated to Kṛṣṇa. And how it can be possible? Tat-puruṣa-niṣevayā: simply by serving the Supreme Personality.

So this program, this devotional service, morning, from morning till night, is simply how to serve Him. The more we serve, then we become dedicated to Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa says on the Bhagavad-gītā the same thing: teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam (BG 10.10).

Persons who are twenty-four hours engaged, satata-yuktānām . . . satata means twenty-four hours. Not that five minutes' or fifteen minutes' meditation, and then do all nonsense. No. Twenty-four hours one should be engaged in the service of the Lord. Twenty-four hours. That we are doing. Whatever he knows, whatever talent he has got, use for Kṛṣṇa. That is twenty-four hours' engagement. Either:

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
(SB 7.5.23)

There are nine processes. So keep yourself always engaged in either of these nine processes. That is twenty-four hours' engagement. Satatam. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām (BG 10.10): one who is always engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. How? Bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam. Not that it is disgusting. No. Prīti, with love. Of course, it may be disgusting in the beginning. But as you make progress in service, you'll find it pleasing, not disgusting. That is the taste that you have developed. When you do not feel disgusted in the service, in executing the service of the Lord, that means you have made progress. In the material service becomes disgusting.

Just like, for example, here is Kṛṣṇa's name, "Hare Kṛṣṇa." Throughout one's life, twenty-four hours, he's chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. But it is not disgusting. But take any material name and chant it three times, you become disgusted. This is a fact. But these boys, these girls, throughout . . . throughout their life will go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, will never be disgusted, but they will chant more and more. So this is prīti. The more you chant, the more you become attached: "Let me chant more." Not disgusted, but "Let me chant more." This is called prīti.

Similarly, any service of the Lord. This is service by śravaṇam and kīrtanam. That is the beginning. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇa (SB 7.5.23): then always remembering Kṛṣṇa. When you are perfect in chanting and hearing, then you'll always remember Kṛṣṇa. That means in the third stage you become the greatest yogī. Because Kṛṣṇa says, yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā śraddhāvān bhajate yo mām (BG 6.47): "One who is always engaged . . ."

So Kṛṣṇa says, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam, dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam (BG 10.10). Then Kṛṣṇa reveals, and gives him intelligence: "You do like this. You do like this." Why Kṛṣṇa gives intelligence? Yena mām upayānti te: He gives such intelligence by which he may progress for reaching Kṛṣṇa—not for going to hell. He's given intelligence for making progress to approach Kṛṣṇa, not that turn back Kṛṣṇa and go to hell. No. That intelligence is not given by Kṛṣṇa. So here also the same thing is stated, that:

yathā kṛṣṇārpita-prāṇas
tat-puruṣa-niṣevayā
(SB 6.1.16)
sadhrīcīno hy ayaṁ loke
panthāḥ kṣemo 'kuto-bhayaḥ
suśīlāḥ sādhavo yatra
nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇāḥ
(SB 6.1.17)

Now Śukadeva Gosvāmī says . . . this is the perfect way for our ultimate good, goodness, kṣema. Akuto-bhayaḥ: without any fearfulness. In any action you do, there is some fearfulness whether it will be successful or not, "If I fail, if I . . ." But if you take to devotional service, then it is akuto-bhayaḥ. Akutaḥ means there is no fear. No fear.

Because any . . . anything material you do, unless you come to the perfectional point, whatever you have done, that is all gone to hell. Suppose you are trying to construct a nice factory. But if you do not come to the ultimate end, the factory cannot be started. If in the middle you have no money or somehow or other the factory construction is stopped, then whatever money you invested, that is gone to hell.

But Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice that whatever you have done in this life—one percent, two percent, ten percent, fifty percent . . . if you can execute cent percent, then the whole life is perfect. But even if you do not come to the perfectional point, whatever you have done, that is your permanent asset. Next life you begin from that point.

These things are stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. When Arjuna enquired that, "If one cannot finish the whole course of yoga system, what happens to him?" He assured that whatever he has done, that remains his permanent asset. Now, from next life, he begins—suppose he has finished fifty percent—from the next life he begins from fifty-one percent.

But for the karmīs, whatever they have done in this life, whatever they have earned . . . suppose by working very hard, you got millions of dollars. But you cannot take it away. It is left here and go. You cannot take. But Kṛṣṇa conscious activities, the result you take with you, and next life again begin.

So we should not wait for next life. We should try to fulfill the mission of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in this life so that, as assured by Kṛṣṇa, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9): "After leaving this body, he does not come again to this material world." Mām eti: "He comes to Me."

Thank you very much. (end)