Nitai: "Thus by not engaging in the service of the modes of material nature, but by developing Krṣṇa 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."

Prabhupada:

asevayayaṁ prakrter guṇanaṁ
jñanena vairagya-vijrmbhitena
yogena mayy arpitaya ca bhaktya
maṁ pratyag-atmanam ihavarundhe
[SB 3.25.27]

So asevaya ayam. What is our business at the present moment? We are serving maya in different varieties. So maya has got three modes—sattva, rajas, tamas or mixed. Just like the color displayer, very expert in mixing colors. 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, rajas, tamo-guṇa. Three into three equal to nine, and nine multiplied by nine, eighty-one. So there eighty-one colorful living entities are there. Somebody's human being; somebody's demigod; somebody's cat; somebody's dog; somebody's servant; somebody's tree; somebody's plant... There are 8,400,000's of forms of life. And that is our service. Just like the dog is barking. He's thinking that he's dog. So his business is barking. That means serving the laws of material nature. Similarly, somebody's serving, somebody's serving in some way someone-variety.

Because we are not meant for this service. We are, as Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches, jivera svarupa haya nitya-krṣṇa-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. Our main business is to serve Krṣṇa. In Vrndavana, in Goloka Vrndavana, somebody's serving Krṣṇa as His friend, cowherd boy. Somebody's serving Krṣṇa as gopi, as lover. Somebody's serving Krṣṇa as father and mother, mother Yasoda, Nanda Maharaja. Somebody's Krṣṇa's friend as servant, as tree, as water, as flower, as land, as cow's, as calf. So many ways. This is our business. But somehow or other we did not like to serve Krṣṇa. Therefore we have been put into the service of maya in three modes of nature. Just like 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 prisonhouse or inside the prisonhouse. But one who does not obey ordinarily outside the jail the orders or the laws of the state is put into the prisonhouse. 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 Krṣṇa, mamaivaṁso jiva-bhutaḥ; [Bg. 15.7]. I have explained many times. So as soon as we deny to render service to Krṣṇa, immediately the maya is there, captures, "All right. You 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, rasagulla, and if the finger thinks that "I have captured the rasagulla. I shall eat." No. You cannot eat. You must put here. And then you get the benefit. And if you spoil the rasagulla in your hand and don't put into the mouth, then everything is spoiled. Similarly, we are part and parcel of Krṣṇa. Our business is to satisfy Krṣṇa. Ekaṁ bahu syam. The Vedas, we understand God has become many. Many... In many ways we are also part and parcel of Krṣṇa. There are two kinds of manys. One many is called svaṁsa. Svaṁsa means personal expansions. And another expansion is differential expansion. The differential expansion are we, the living entities. We are also expansion of Krṣṇa, and the viṣṇu-tattva, They're personal expansions. But all of them are meant for serving Krṣṇa. That is explained in the Caitanya-caritamrta, ekale isvara krṣṇa ara saba bhrtya [Cc. Adi 5.142]. Krṣṇa 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 Brahma, Lord Brahma. He also servant of Krṣṇa. That is the position.

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

prakrteḥ; kriyamaṇani
guṇaiḥ; karmaṇi sarvasaḥ;
ahaṅkara-vimuḍhatma
kartaham iti manyate
[Bg. 3.27]

In the Bhagavad-gita: prakrteḥ;. You have been put under the clutches of maya. He's giving you as you are desiring because you are desiring, bhoga vañcha kare. Sometimes I used to enjoy like this, enjoy like... Everyone is trying to enjoy. But enjoy means we are becoming entangled. Yajñarthe karmaṇo 'nyatra loko yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ; [Bg. 3.9]. If you want to enjoy with Krṣṇa, that is your natural propensity, and if you en..., want to enjoy life without Krṣṇa, that is maya. That is maya.

So we are trying to enjoy. Enjoyment is our business. Anandamayo 'bhyasat (Vedanta-sutra 1.1.12). Ananda, Krṣṇa is anandamaya, and we are part and parcel of Krṣṇa. We are also anandamaya. But we are seeking ananda 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 Krṣṇa. Krṣṇa 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. That 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, Parabrahman, Krṣṇa, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhama pavitraṁ paramam... [Bg. 10.12]. So here we have got all the qualities. We are Brahman, we are pure. But Krṣṇa's paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhama pavitraṁ paramam [Bg. 10.12]. He's the supreme, nityo nityanaṁ cetanas cetananam (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). 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 somehow 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. You cannot enjoy. You can simply serve.

So this is the philosophy to understand. That asevayayaṁ prakrter guṇanam. We have to learn how to forget to serve this material nature. That is bhakti-marga. It is forced because we have krṣṇa-bahirmukha haña bhoga vañcha kare. Somehow or other we have forgotten Krṣṇa and trying to enjoy this material world under different position. That we have to forget. This is not my business. 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 Krṣṇa." That is self-realization. That is self-realization. Asevayayaṁ prakrter guṇanaṁ jñanena. When one comes to this understanding, not by sentiment, but by real knowledge, jñanena.

So when one becomes devotee, he's not a fool. Pure devotee is full knowledge. Bahunaṁ janmanam ante jñanavan maṁ prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. After many, many births, when one is actually jñanavan, actually wise, he surrenders to Krṣṇa. How? Vasudevaḥ; sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhaḥ; [Bg. 7.19]. He surrenders to Krṣṇa. "Krṣṇa, I forgot You so long. Now I understand that You are everything." That is knowledge. That is real knowledge. Therefore it is said, jñanena vairagya-vijrmbhitena. This jñana means vairagya—no more attachment for serving the so-called society, friendship, love, country. These are all foolishly engagement. But people do not understand it. 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 Krṣṇa, this service automatically becomes possible. Just like we are giving prasadam every week on Sunday, distributing prasadam. That is the bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga means that sympathetic to persons who are not devotee of Krṣṇa. Devotee or not devotee, by eating krṣṇa-prasadam, he'll gradually become devotee. As yesterday I explained that krṣṇa-bhakti begins from the tongue, sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ; [Brs. 1.2.234]. If you engage your tongue in the service of the Lord, then Lord manifests. He reveals Himself. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau. How it is possible that jihvadau, beginning from the tongue? This is chanting Hare Krṣṇa mantra. Jihvadau, chant Hare Krṣṇa. Hare Krṣṇa, Hare Krṣṇa, Krṣṇa Krṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Very easy. You can begin Krṣṇa consciousness simply by chanting. And as soon as you chant, go on chanting, then ceto-darpaṇa-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. Ceto-darpaṇa-marjanam means cleansing the heart. Because all congestion or dirty things within your heart—"I am this. I am that. I am this. I am that"—that if you chant, then gradually you'll understand that you are spirit soul. You're not Indian, not American, not this, not that, not that. This is self-realization.

But this 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 Krṣṇa consciousness. Because there is no Krṣṇa consciousness any gentleman, any sane man can understand that if these people are CIA, they have taken this Vaiṣṇava 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, 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 Krṣṇa 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 Krṣṇa consciousness. Because they're servant of this maya they're thinking like this. Therefore the first condition is asevayayaṁ prakrter guṇanam. They are dictated by the tamo-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, modes of material nature and thinking like that. Everyone is that. This whole world is like that. They're servant of maya, this tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa, and manufacturing their own way of enjoyment.

So Krṣṇa consciousness means completely become purified from the infection of maya, sa guṇan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [Bg. 14.26]. That is stated by Krṣṇa. One who is a devotee fully engaged in Krṣṇa's service... So what is his position? The position is sa guṇan... sa guṇan etan, this prakrter guṇan. Here it is said, prakrter guṇanam. There are three guṇas—sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa... So if one is engaged in devotional service, immediately he becomes transcendental to all these guṇas. Sa guṇan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [Bg. 14.26]. Then he becomes again in his transcendental position, Brahman. Brahma-jñana, ahaṁ brahmasmi. This is... This position he comes. And as soon as one comes to this position, brahma-jñana, brahma-bhuta... [SB 4.30.20]. Now we are maya-bhuta, identifying with ourself with this maya, this prakrti-guṇa, the modes of material nature: "I am this," "I am that," "I am this," "I am that." But when he becomes brahma-bhuta—"I don't belong to these prakrti-guṇan, these nature's..., these modes of material nature. I belong to the spirit soul, Supreme. Ahaṁ brahmasmi"—this brahma-jñana will immediately make him happy. That is the symptom of a person who has attained brahma-jñana.

brahma-bhutaḥ; prasannatma
na socati na kaṅkṣati
samaḥ; sarveṣu bhuteṣu
mad-bhaktiṁ labhate param
[Bg. 18.54]

That is the basic principle of bhakti. So here the same thing is explained, jñanena vairagya-vijrmbhitena. Jñanena. Therefore this class is held to awaken jñana. Either you read these books, you hear from realized soul—that will awaken your jñana, knowledge. Or otherwise if you cannot do this... Both things should be done. You chant Hare Krṣṇa. Very simply.

So in the previous verse we have discussed rjubhir yoga-margaiḥ; [SB 3.25.26]. Ṛju, very simple method. Ṛju means very simple. Everyone can perform it. Susukhaṁ kartum avyayam [Bg. 9.2]. In the Bhagavad-gita, very happy. If you chant Hare Krṣṇa and dance, it is very happy thing. And by dancing, dancing, as soon as you become hungry, take prasadam, ready. So where is the trouble? Therefore it is rjubhir yoga-margaiḥ;. Our Krṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice there is no trouble only. And another thing is that that is great hope. Everything you are doing under the spell of maya we do not know where you are going, what is the ultimate aim. We do not know. Prakrteḥ; kriyamaṇani. We are under the spell of maya given by the guṇas. You must accept. If you don't take to Krṣṇa consciousness and give it ourselves on the waves of maya, then we do not know where we are going. The Caitanya Bhaktivinoda Ṭhakura says mayar bose, jaccho bhese', Khaccho habuḍubu bhai. 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, prakrteḥ; kriyamaṇani [Bg. 3.27]. 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 Krṣṇa. That is stated mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etaṁ taranti te [Bg. 7.14]. Otherwise you're carried by maya. You may be very big prime minister or anything, but as soon as maya will dictate, "Please vacate your post and go away," you become a dog. You have to become. How you can challenge prakrti? That is not possible. Because karmaṇa daiva-netreṇa [SB 3.31.1], your next body will be offered to you. Therefore the atheist class man (indistinct). That is next life. Because his life is sinful he'll get his next life, he'll be punished. He'll be put into abominable condition of life. He does not like to think like that, but that does not mean that he escapes. There is a Bengali proverb that (Bengali). One body, one person, he thought that "I've done so much sinful activity that Yamaraja will come and capture me and punish me. So what is the way to avoid?" 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 maya, material nature. You try to avoid it somehow 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 the 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-gita: daivi hy eṣa guṇamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14]. You cannot avoid the hands of maya upon you, or material nature. We call "maya," and the modern scientific word is "material nature." Completely under. You cannot avoid it. But mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etaṁ taranti te [Bg. 7.14]. If you surrender to Krṣṇa... When Krṣṇa will save me? I am so much sinful. Yes. Krṣṇa can do that. Krṣṇa says

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekaṁ saraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvaṁ sarva-papebhyo
mokṣayiṣyami ma sucaḥ;
[Bg. 18.66]

So why don't you do that? Why you are so much eager to serve the modes of material nature? Why not serve Krṣṇa. Here is Krṣṇa. Where is the difficulty? No difficulty at all. Just there's Krṣṇa. Just give Krṣṇa nice foodstuff. Just chant Hare Krṣṇa. Eat sumptuously and keep your health very good, nicely. Where is the difficulty? Mam eva ye... This 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 Krṣṇa 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 asevayayaṁ prakrter guṇanam. 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. In this way, if we engage ourselves in the service of Krṣṇa, gradually we shall forget the service of maya. The service of maya means sinful activities. That's all. So, so long we are in the service of maya, duṣkrtinam, engaged in sinful activities, it is not possible. But if you engage the positive and the negative... The Mayavadi, they are simply trying to be negative. There is no positive engagement. But here in the bhakti-yoga the 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 Krṣṇa, the material service or maya's service will automatically become negative. Bhaktiḥ; paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra syat [SB 11.2.42]. That is called vairagya. The bhakti-yoga means vairagya-yoga. Vairagya-vidya-nija-bhakti-yogam.

This was composed by Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭacarya about Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When he understood Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu he wrote this verse, vairagya-vidya-nija-bhakti-yoga-sikṣartham ekaḥ; puruṣaḥ; puraṇaḥ; [Cc. Madhya 6.254]. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is that Puraṇa-puruṣa, Krṣṇa. Krṣṇa is the original. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ; sarvaṁ pravar.. [Bg. 10.8]. Everything has come from Krṣṇa; therefore He's Puraṇa, the oldest. Oldest. Nobody can be older than Krṣṇa, but He's always young. That is Bhagavan. Advaitam acyutam anadi. Anadi. He has no adi. He's adi. Adi means the original.

isvaraḥ; paramaḥ; krṣṇaḥ;
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaḥ;
anadir adir govindaḥ;
sarva-karaṇa-karaṇam
[Bs. 5.1]

He's the cause of all causes. So this Puraṇa-puruṣa, Krṣṇa, He's the oldest. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam adyaṁ puraṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca [Bs. 5.33]. That is Krṣṇa. You'll never see Krṣṇa's picture as old man. No. Has anyone seen Krṣṇa as old man? No. Nava-yauvanam, always fresh youthful life. The same. You have seen the picture of Kurukṣetra battle. Krṣṇa was sitting... At that time He was great-grandfather, but He was looking twenty years old, young... That is Krṣṇa.

So we also become like Krṣṇa. In the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, the inhabitants, they are also living entities. Just like in this, within this universe, this material universe, there are living entities—there are also living entities, but they are in spiritual body, the same form of body as Krṣṇa. You have read in the Sixth Canto of Bhagavata, Srimad-Bhagavatam, the Ajamila, the vaikuṇṭha-duta came for Ajamila to take Ajamila. They are also four-handed, very beautiful. That is Vaikuṇṭhaloka. But in Krṣṇaloka 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 all 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, some But tyaktva dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9], if you become Krṣṇa conscious, then, after leaving this body, you're not any more getting this material body. That is stated. tyaktva dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. Then what happens? Mam 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 Krṣṇa has, as Narayaṇa has. This is the opportunity.

So why should we not take this opportunity of human life, take to Krṣṇa consciousness and become devotee of Krṣṇa and make our life? Therefore it is said here, pratyag-atmanam ihavarundhe. In this life you can get this opportunity simply by following the bhakti-yoga process. Yogena mayy arpitaya ca bhaktya [SB 3.25.27]. That is required. You learn how to become a bhakta. Simply practicing sravaṇaṁ kirtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ; smaraṇaṁ pada-sevanam, arcanam... [SB 7.5.23] 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 Mahaprabhu therefore prescribes the most important one-sravaṇam, simply hear. That's all. That will make your life successful.

Thank you very much. (end)

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