Nitai: "Some say that the Unborn is born for the glorification of pious kings, and others say that He is born to please King Yadu, one of Your dearest devotees. You appear in his family as sandalwood appears in the Malaya Hills."

Prabhupada:

kecid ahur ajaṁ jataṁ
puṇya-slokasya kirtaye
yadoḥ; priyasyanvavaye
malayasyeva candanam
[SB 1.8.32]

So Krṣṇa has nothing to do. He is the Supreme. Why He shall have some thing to do? Na tasya karyaṁ karaṇam... This is the definition in the Vedas: "God has nothing to do. He is self-sufficient. Neither He has got any aspiration." Just like we are thinking of purchasing this land, that land. Why Krṣṇa will think like that? Because every land is belonging to Him. So He has nothing to purchase. Everything is there. So why He comes? That is the same way, as Krṣṇa says personally. He comes for paritraṇaya sadhunaṁ vinasaya ca duṣkrtam [Bg. 4.8]. He wants to give protection to the devotees, to glorify the devotees. That is His business. Otherwise He has no business. He has nothing to do. Just like a devotee has nothing to do except serving Krṣṇa, except to see Krṣṇa is pleased, similarly, Krṣṇa has nothing to do, but He wants to glorify His devotee. This is reciprocation. Ye yatha maṁ prapadyante [Bg. 4.11]. If you... If you dedicate your life for glorifying the Supreme Lord, the Lord is also ready. His business is to glorify you. Otherwise, He has no business.

Therefore here it is said that priyasya, yadoḥ; priyasya. King Yadu became very dear to Krṣṇa by rendering service. Priyasya. The... As Krṣṇa is very dear to the devotee, similarly, devotees are also very, very dear to Krṣṇa. There is another verse, sva-pada-mulaṁ bhajataḥ; priyasya. Sva-pada-mulaṁ bhajataḥ; priyasya: "If one is engaged at the lotus feet of Krṣṇa, he becomes very, very dear." Sva-pada-mulaṁ bhajataḥ; priyasya. Bhajataḥ;, one who is simply engaged for rendering service to the lotus feet of Krṣṇa—he has no other business—he becomes priya. And as soon as you become priya, or dear to Krṣṇa, then your all problems solved. Just like if you become a dear child of a very big, rich man, then where is your problem? Automatically he's taken care of. Because he has become dear child of a very big man, so what is his problem? No problem. Similarly, we have to become very dear to Krṣṇa. Then all our problems solved.

These rascals, karmis, they do not know. They want to become happy by their own endeavor. That is called karmi. They are working very hard—the same thing—to be very happy, and the devotee is also trying to become happy. Everyone is trying. Sukham atyantikaṁ yat tad atindriya-grahyam [Bg. 6.21]. Everyone is trying to be, become happy, because to become happy is our natural tendency. Anandamayo 'bhyasat (Vedanta-sutra 1.1.12). Everyone is trying to become happy. But the karmis, the jñanis, the yogis, they do not know how to become perfectly happy. They're making their own endeavor. Karmis are trying to work harder, hard, day and night, to get money. "Some way or other, never mind black and white. Bring money. I must have nice car, nice house, nice bank balance." This is karmi. And jñani, when he is fed up with working, when he understands that "This working hard and bank balance could not make me anyway happy, so therefore this is false, all these activities, what I am..." The brahma satyaṁ jagan mithya. So they become disgusted and take to Brahman. Brahma satyam.

But brahma satyam is fact, but because they are trying to understand Brahman by their speculative method, they cannot understand Brahman. Athapi te deva padambuja-dvaya-prasada-lesanugrhita eva hi, janati tattvam [SB 10.14.29]. You can understand the Supreme Brahman... Simply understanding Brahman will not give you satisfaction. Simply understanding ahaṁ brahmasmi, this will not... Suppose if you have got money, and you are aware that you are very rich man. So simply thinking that you are very rich man and you see your money in the treasury, you'll be happy? No. When the money is utilized in so many ways for your gratification, then you are happy. Similarly, simple understanding, ahaṁ brahmasmi, this realization, will not make you happy. You have to utilize his Brahman's position. That means bhakti. This is called santa-rasa, simply to understand ahaṁ brahmasmi. This is called santa-rasa. You must develop further. That is called dasya-rasa, to become the servant of the Supreme Brahman. Then further advance. Simply to understand that "I am Brahman" will not give you...

Just the same example... It is very easy, that, if you simply understand you have got much money... Just like we are trying to purchase land, but purchase land means I must have money. So money is there. So why I am not happy? Why I am trying to purchase land? To utilize the money. That is required. Every businessman has got money, enough money. But why they are active in the business circle? They are going to the market, share market, this market. Utilize the money. The same thing, simply to understand that ahaṁ brahmasmi... Therefore they fail. All these so-called sannyasis, simply understanding ahaṁ brahmasmi, "I have become now Narayaṇa," not giving them satisfaction, but because they have no information about rendering service to the Parabrahman, they come to again to this material field to render service, to open hospital, to open school, to feed the daridra-narayaṇa, and in this way they imagine because they want activities.

So Brahman realization without activity of Brahman will not allow you to stay in the Brahman position. You'll fall down. Aruhya krcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ; patanty adhaḥ; anadrta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ; [SB 10.2.32]. Patanty adhaḥ;. By great austerities and penance, they can rise up to the paraṁ padam, ahaṁ brahmasmi, brahma-pada. But aruhya krcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ;, from that place, patanty adhaḥ;, again falls down in this material world. Why? Anadrta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ;: "Because they did not learn how to honor Your lotus feet." Because they are impersonalists, they are—"God, or the Brahman, has no leg." So how they will take shelter of the leg or lotus feet? Impersonal. Therefore the very word is used, anadrta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ;. Aṅghrayaḥ; means this leg, or lotus feet. So because they have no information, or they, even they have got information, they are not inclined to render service, therefore they fall down. This is the position.

So our business is not to realize simply that "I... ahaṁ brahmasmi." That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, brahma-bhutaḥ; prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. When you understand that you are not this body but you are spirit soul, then, actually, if you realize, then, if I understand... Na jayate na mriyate va. The soul does not die. Then here the karmis are working very hard because he's upset that "If I do not work hard, if I do not get money, then I shall die out of starvation." But if you are actually Brahman realized, if you understand that "I'll not die," then where is your activities? You'll not die. If somebody, some physician, gives you a tablet: "Now you take this tablet. You'll not die," then you'll stop working immediately, because "I'll not die." So brahma-bhutaḥ; prasannatma. "That is all right. Now I am spirit soul. I understand I will never die." That is prasannatma. Na socati na kaṅkṣati [Bg. 18.54]. There is no need of lamentation. Samaḥ; sarveṣu bhuteṣu. But mad-bhaktiṁ labhate param. If you do not take to devotional service, simply by realizing that you are Brahman will not help. And by devotional service, you can become dear.

Just like Arjuna is addressed by Krṣṇa, bhakto 'si priyo 'si: [Bg. 4.3] "You are My devotee and very dear friend." So our business is, somehow or other, to become very dear to Krṣṇa, as a servant, as a friend, or as father, mother, or as lover. Some way or other, you become... Make Krṣṇa your dear as master or as son or as father or... Father, they are taki..., doing, everyone. Even ordinary person, if he is God conscious, he takes Krṣṇa as supreme father. Just like the Christians, they take that "O Father, give us our daily..." Father means to ask Him, "Give me, give me, give me, give me." Nobody wants to give father, but wants to take from father. Sometimes our students, when they spend extravagantly and I point out, he says, "My father has sent money." Sometimes. "My father has sent money." Yes. "Why did you stay at Ashoka Hotel?" "My father sent money." "Why not ask your father to send money? Why you are collecting by making life member?" So means idea of father... Father means that "Whenever I want to stay in Ashoka Hotel, he'll send money," not that "I will send money to father. He may stay at Ashoka Hotel." Nobody thinks like that. "Father may send money, and I shall stay in Ashoka Hotel." This is the idea of father. Father means to exploit him, to exploit.

So the father conception of God, mother conception of God, is not bad. Just like in Bengal especially, they have got mother conception. Mother conception means the same thing, to exploit, take from mother, or father. But the Vaiṣṇava conception is not to accept God as father or mother but as son. Son means to give. Father means to take from him, and son means to take from the father. So if you become father of God, then your business will be to give, not to take. That is Vaiṣṇava conception. From the very beginning of the son's life, the mother is giving service to the son, the father is giving service. Therefore the service is there. Even Krṣṇa is afraid of mother Yasoda. Why? Why mother Yasoda was trying to bind Krṣṇa? Because He disrupted the process of service of mother Yasoda to Krṣṇa. That is... Mother Yasoda tried that "You have broken the butter, and You have distributed to the monkeys, You rascal. Then how You will live? I kept the butter for You so that You will eat and You'll become fatty. And You have broken that, and You have distributed the butter to the monkeys, so You must be punished." So the aim is to serve Krṣṇa, not that Yasoda is thinking, "My butter is spoiled by this child. Therefore He should be punished." He (she) is anxious to see that "Krṣṇa may not starve for want of butter. He's child. He does not know. He has distributed the butter to the monkeys." But Krṣṇa knows that "These monkeys are not ordinary monkeys." Those monkeys, they have taken birth in Vrndavana and come to Krṣṇa. Do you think they're ordinary monkeys? They're devotees. They're devotees. They're playing as monkey for Krṣṇa's satisfaction. These are the intricate meanings of understanding Krṣṇa's lila. Therefore Krṣṇa says, janma karma me divyaṁ yo janati tattvataḥ; [Bg. 4.9].

So to understand krṣṇa-lila... So therefore we have to understand Krṣṇa-lila, Krṣṇa, from these books, Bhagavata, Bhagavad-gita, but not directly. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends, bhagavata giya paro bhagavata sthane. Just try to understand Bhagavata or Bhagavan from the realized soul, not from the professional man. So here: kecid ahur ajaṁ jatam [SB 1.8.32]. Ahuḥ; ajaṁ jatam. Contradiction. Now Krṣṇa says, ajo 'pi: "Although I am birthless, I do not take birth," ajo 'pi sann avyayatma bhutanam isvaro 'pi san... He is the Supreme Being, He's the master of everyone, and He never takes birth. Still, He takes birth—contradiction. He never takes birth, aja; at the same time... Ajo 'pi... Here it is said, kecid ahur ajam. God, or Krṣṇa, is aja. He never takes birth. But again he (she) says, jatam: "He has taken birth." This contradiction should be understood. The Vedas, there are many such contradictions like that. Pasyaty acakṣuḥ;: "Krṣṇa, or God, sees, but He has no eyes." Similarly, God, Krṣṇa, takes His birth although He never takes birth. These are contradictions. Pasyaty acakṣuḥ;. Apaṇi-pado javano grahita: "He has no leg, but He goes so fast, nobody can compete Him." These are Vedic statements. You'll find in the Upaniṣads, apaṇi-pada: "He has no leg, He has no hand," but javano grahita, "but if you offer Him something, He takes." Krṣṇa says... It is not my word.

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahrtam
asnami prayatatmanaḥ;
[Bg. 9.26]

Now, if the Supreme Lord, God, has no hand, no leg, then how He can walk? Just like Sakṣi-gopala. Sakṣi-gopala, He was Deity, apparently showing as made of stone, and the devotee's asking, "My Lord, Gopala, You have to come to give witness." So Gopala was smiling and said, "How you expect a Deity can walk that I shall go to give witness for you?" The bhakta said, "If the Deity can speak and smile, He can walk also." That is the conviction of devotee. And the other party, they agreed that "If Gopala comes to give witness, my sister will be given to you." He... Because he's atheist, he is thinking that "How the Deity will come? He'll never come. Then I shall not have to fulfill my promise." He is... He was confident like that. That is the difference between a devotee and nondevotee. The nondevotee cannot understand. They will take it that "Once you say that God has no eyes, then how He can see? God has no leg. Then how can He walk? God has no hand. Then how can He accept your offering?" Therefore the conclusion should be that ajo 'pi, although Krṣṇa never takes birth, and again He takes birth. He has taken birth. Therefore His birth is not like our birth. This is to be understood. He has no birth, but He has taken birth. Therefore, an intelligent man will conclude that His birth is not like our birth.

Therefore Krṣṇa says, janma karma me divyam [Bg. 4.9]. It is all transcendental. It is not this ordinary birth. Ordinary birth means male and female union, then there is pregnancy, then the child comes out of the womb. It is not like that. It is... We can take this example. Just like the sunrise in the morning: udilo aruṇa puraba-bhage. Before the sunrise, the sky becomes reddish, and then the sun comes out. So if somebody says that "The eastern side is the birthplace of sun," is it a fact? No. The sun is always there in the sky, but with your limited eyes you are seeing that now sun comes, sunrise. Sun does not rise nor set. Sun is already there. Your imperfect eyes—you see there is sunrise, there is sunset. Is it not a fact? Similarly, Krṣṇa is always there, but because we do not know Krṣṇa, therefore we understand that Krṣṇa is taking birth from Devaki, or Krṣṇa has taken birth in the family of the Yadus. Yes, He appears like that, that He has taken birth in the Yadu family. Because why? The purpose is to glorify the family because it belongs to the devotee, Maharaja Yadu. That is His purpose. His real purpose is that the Yadu dynasty... Maharaja Yadu was a great devotee. Here the yadoḥ; priyasya. He appears to take birth in the family of Maharaja Yadu. Just like Lord Ramacandra. He took birth in the family of Maharaja Raghu. Therefore Lord Ramacandra is called Raghunatha, Dasarathi, as Krṣṇa is called Vasudeva because He accepted Vasudeva as His father.

So actually, Krṣṇa has no birth. Krṣṇa doesn't require. He can appear in any family. He... Just like Krṣṇa appeared, matsya-avatara, in the family of fish. Kesava dhrta-mina-sarira, jaya jagadisa hare. Krṣṇa took birth as a pig. Kesava dhrta-varaha-sarira, jaya jagadisa hare. Krṣṇa is free. He can appear anywhere, everywhere. That is... Just like isvaraḥ; sarva-bhutanaṁ hrd-dese arjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. He's situated in everyone's heart. So He is with everyone's... Every living being has got Krṣṇa. So Krṣṇa is already there in the heart. From the heart, if He appears in front... Just like Dhruva Maharaja. He was meditating that Viṣṇu form of Krṣṇa, and all of a sudden he saw that Viṣṇu is not there. Then he opened his eyes. He saw Viṣṇu is in his front. So what is the difficulty for Krṣṇa? If He is within the heart and if He comes in your front, is it very difficult task for Him?

But the rascals, atheists, they cannot understand. Krṣṇa everywhere. That is explained here, yadoḥ; priyasya anvavaye. He can appear... How it is? Malayasyeva candanam. The sandalwood is famous as produced in Malaysia, or Malaya. I think formerly they used to grow sandalwood in Malaysia. What...? What is that capital?

Devotee: Kuala Lumpur.

Prabhupada: Kuala Lumpur. Yes. We had been in Kuala Lumpur. Now, instead of sandalwood, they are growing rubber, rubberwood. Yes. So formerly malaya-candana, Malaysia, Malayasian candana, sandalwood was very famous. Still it is famous. So this candana tree can grow anywhere, but it is famous as Malayan candana. Similarly, Krṣṇa can appear from anywhere. He is independent. But He appeared as this descendant of the Yadu dynasty. Why? Yadoḥ; priyasya, puṇya-slokasya kirtaye [SB 1.8.32]. Those who are devotee, they are puṇya-sloka. Or Krṣṇa is also puṇya-sloka, uttama-sloka, Krṣṇa's another name... As Krṣṇa is known as Uttama-sloka, similarly, the devotees are called puṇya-sloka. How they become puṇya-sloka? Simply by hearing about Krṣṇa. Srṇvataṁ sva-kathaḥ; krṣṇaḥ; puṇya-sloka-kirtanaḥ; [SB 1.2.17]. Anyone who is always in contact with Krṣṇa, he's puṇya-sloka, and Krṣṇa is Uttama-sloka. Uttama-sloke bhagavati bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhiki.

So these are the terms used in the sastras. As Krṣṇa is Uttama-sloka, similarly, a devotee is puṇya-sloka. As the devotee worships Krṣṇa with selected poems, uttama-sloka... They are not ordinary poems. Cintamaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrkṣa-lakṣavrteṣu surabhir abhipalayan... [Bs. 5.29]. These are not ordinary verse. These are transcendental verses: Govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajami **. So Krṣṇa is worshiped by transcendental verses, transcendental language, Vedic language. That is transcendental language. Therefore it is called uttama-sloka. So puṇya-sloka, when he's advanced, he can worship the Uttama-sloka. Naṣṭa-prayeṣu abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhagavata-sevaya [SB 1.2.18]. Nityam, daily, regular. So as you are daily hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam, so if you go on, then naṣṭa-praya, everything, all dirty things within your heart, ceto-darpaṇa-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12], it will be all cleansed. Then you become puṇya-sloka. Puṇya-sloka. Nityaṁ bhagavata-sevaya. Srṇvataṁ sva-kathaḥ; krṣṇaḥ; nityam..., puṇya-sloka-kirtanaḥ; [SB 1.2.17]. Simply by hearing...

So we are inviting everyone to become puṇya-sloka simply by hearing Srimad-Bhagavata. There is no... Come here. Take prasadam. Chant Hare Krṣṇa. Dance in jubilation. Become puṇya-sloka, and Krṣṇa..., you become very dear to Krṣṇa. This is perfection of life.

Thank you very much. (end)

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