Nitai: "O My mother, My devotees always see the smiling face of My form, with eyes like the rising morning sun. They like to see My various transcendental forms, which are all benevolent, and they also talk favorably with Me."

Prabhupada:

pasyanti te me ruciraṇy amba santaḥ;
prasanna-vaktraruṇa-locanani
rupaṇi divyani vara-pradani
sakaṁ vacaṁ sprhaṇiyaṁ vadanti
[SB 3.25.35]

In the previous verse it is said, anyonyato bhagavataḥ; prasajya sabhajayante mama pauruṣaṇi. Those who are devotees, they assemble together. Bodhayantaḥ; parasparam. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, "They discuss about the glories of the Lord." Bodhayantaḥ; parasparam. That is sadhu-saṅga [Cc. Madhya 22.83]. We have also discussed this. Sataṁ prasaṅgan mama virya-saṁvido bhavanti hrt-karṇa-rasayanaḥ; [SB 3.25.25]. When things are discussed about the Supreme Personality of Godhead amongst the devotees, it becomes a different thing than the discussion in the debating club of the nondevotees. The krṣṇa-katha is not a subject matter for debating club. It is meant for the devotees. Without devotees, nobody can understand. The others who are not devotee, they simply waste their time in reading Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam, such literature. They simply waste their time because these subject matters are for the devotees.

We have several times discussed this point that the so-called scholars, politicians, and philosophers, they read Bhagavad-gita and comment in a different way. This is their foolishness. They cannot understand Bhagavad-gita. It is not possible. My Guru Maharaja used to say, "It is just licking the bottle of honey." Now you want honey. I give you one bottle, but you do not know how to taste it. You begin to lick up the bottle. Then what you will taste? If you think, "Here is the bottle of honey. Let me lick," you will not get any taste. It must be opened. But the opening key is with the devotee. You do not know how to open it. Therefore it is said, sataṁ prasaṅgan mama virya-saṁvido bhavanti hrt-karṇa-rasayanaḥ; [SB 3.25.25]. The devotees know how to open it, the bottle. And then they can taste. Therefore, sabhajayante mama pauruṣaṇi.

In the Bhagavad-gita Krṣṇa says to Arjuna that "I am speaking to you this science of Bhagavad-gita." Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavan aham avyayam [Bg. 4.1]. Idaṁ yogam. Bhagavad-gita means bhakti-yogam. So Krṣṇa said formerly, say, four hundred millions of years ago. Bhagavad-gita is not new. It is... First of all it was spoken to sun-god, and from the Manu's age and others' age we can calculate it is about some millions of years ago it was spoken. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavan aham avyayam [Bg. 4.1]. So Krṣṇa said, "That very old yoga system I am speaking to you again. It is not a new thing that I am manufacturing for you. No." Everything... God is eternal and His instruction is also eternal. And the followers are also eternal. There is nothing new. Nityaḥ; sasvato 'yaṁ puraṇaḥ;. Nityaḥ; sasvato 'yaṁ puraṇaḥ;. Very old, but still, it is eternal and fresh. This is spiritual matter. You read Bhagavad-gita. It was spoken four hundred millions of years ago, and then again, five thousand years ago. Still, if you read Bhagavad-gita daily, you will find it fresh. You will never find it old. As Krṣṇa is never old, advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam adyaṁ puraṇa-puruṣam [Bs. 5.33]. Krṣṇa is the Puraṇa..., the oldest man, but nava-yauvanaṁ ca. But He is always... See. You will find Krṣṇa just a young boy of twenty years. Nava-yauvanaṁ ca. So similarly, Krṣṇa's words, everything Krṣṇa, absolute. His name, His form, His quality, His activities—they are all fresh and new. Otherwise, how the devotees can glorify the same Krṣṇa daily with greater enthusiasm? Greater enthusiasm. The more you glorify, you feel more enthusiastic to more glorify, glorify, glorify.

This is spiritual. In the material world, if you speak one thing once, twice, thrice, four times, then it becomes disgusting. But how this Hare Krṣṇa mantra... You are chanting. You can chant twenty-four hours. It will feel fresh and enthusiasm. That is spiritual. Therefore... Therefore it is not a subject matter, this sound is not like this radio, material sound. It is also sound, but it is spiritual sound, and it is coming from the spiritual world. Just like in the material world we can release some sound. From here, it can be heard from thousands of miles, but not more than that. The spiritual sound, it is released from many, many millions and millions and trillions of miles away; still, it can be heard, provided you have got the machine to capture it. That is bhagavata-prema.

So those who have got developed love of Godhead, they can hear. As it is said in the Bhagavad-gita, Krṣṇa says that "I am speaking to you the old message, Bhagavad-gita, which I spoke to sun-god some millions of years ago." So "Why You are speaking to me? I am not a Vedantist. I am not a sannyasi. I am not any advance in spiritual understanding." People may say. But Krṣṇa says, "Yes. You are My bhakta." Bhakto 'si. Therefore to understand Bhagavad-gita means one has to become first of all a bhakta. The so-called nondevotee, atheist class, scholar and politician, they cannot understand. It is not possible. They cannot enter into it. The same thing, licking up the honey bottle, that's all. What you will taste? It is not possible. Therefore Krṣṇa says,

tad viddhi praṇipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadekṣyanti te jñanaṁ
jñaninas tattva-darsinaḥ;
[Bg. 4.34]

The same example can be... You can go to a person who knows how to open the bottle of honey. Then you can taste. Otherwise, if you simply lick up the book, Bhagavad-gita, becoming a very big scholar, you will never taste it. You will never taste it. You can satisfy yourself, "Now I am licking up daily Bhagavad-gita, thrice," but what you will understand unless you are a devotee? You will not understand. The bottle is packed up.

So here it is said, pasyanti te me ruciraṇy amba santaḥ;? "They can see Me, santaḥ;." Not these rascals and fools. They cannot see. Nahaṁ prakasaḥ; sarvasya yoga-maya-samavrtaḥ; [Bg. 7.25], Bhagavan says in the Bhagavad-gita that "I am not exposed to these fools and rascals, nondevotees." Why I say "fools and rascals" to the nondevotees? I am not saying; Krṣṇa says. Na maṁ duṣkrtino muḍhaḥ; prapadyante naradhamaḥ; [Bg. 7.15]. Muḍha means rascal. Muḍha means rascal. And duṣkrtinaḥ;, duṣkrtinaḥ; mean always engaged in sinful activities, no restraint. They can eat everything, they can drink everything, they can do everything without any restriction. They think, "What is there in drinking and eating in the matter of religion?" That is the new invention of swamis and yogis, that "You can do everything, and still you become advanced." But that is not possible. One has to become a pure brahmaṇa. Then why, in the Vedic civilization, a pure brahmaṇa is so respected? Because they are symbolic representation of the Vedas. Satyaṁ samo damas titikṣa arjavaṁ jñanaṁ vijñanam astikyam [Bg. 18.42]. That is brahmaṇa, who has got this qualification, satyam, who has taken the Absolute Truth as the aim of life. People, ordinary people, how they will know? Satyaṁ saucam, very clean always, tri-sandhya-snana, taking bathing thrice. Satyaṁ saucaṁ samam, controlling the mind, not that "I am servant of my mind. I shall do whatever my mind dictates." These are the qualification of brahmaṇa. Samaṁ damam, controlling the senses. These are the symbolic representation of the Vedas.

So therefore sataṁ prasaṅgan, that one has to discuss about the Supreme Personality of Godhead amongst the satam, santaḥ;. Satam, santaḥ;, the same thing. Santaḥ;. Here the word is used, santaḥ;. Pasyanti me, te me ruciraṇy amba: "Mother, they can see, santaḥ;." Santaḥ; sadaiva hrdayeṣu vilokayanti. In the Brahma-saṁhita again this word is used, santaḥ;.

premañjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santaḥ; sadaiva hrdayeṣu vilokayanti
yaṁ syamasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarupaṁ
govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajami
[Bs. 5.38]

So the Krṣṇa, Govinda, Syamasundara, is meant for the santa, not for the naradhamas, duṣkrtinas, muḍhas. They cannot understand. One has to qualify himself to be sinless. Na maṁ duṣkrtinaḥ;... This is said, and another paragraph is there, yeṣaṁ tv anta-gataṁ papaṁ jananaṁ puṇya-karmaṇam: "Those who are completely free from sinful activities," yeṣaṁ tu anta-gatam, "no more touch with sinful life," te dvandva-moha-nirmukta bhajante maṁ drḍha-vrataḥ; [Bg. 7.28], "they can fix up their devotional service to Krṣṇa." It is not so easy. But one can become immediately a santa, within a second. How? That also, Krṣṇa says, that,

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

The qualification is: unless one is sinless, he cannot understand Krṣṇa. He cannot understand what is krṣṇa-bhajana. But if one is eager—he's actually very eager—he can do it immediately. What is that? Surrender to Krṣṇa. Sarva-dharman parityajya: [Bg. 18.66] Give up all these nonsense so-called religious principle. Simply surrender to Krṣṇa, "Krṣṇa, I was forgotten about You. Now I surrender unto You fully. If You like, You can kill me; if You like, You can give me protection." This is surrender, not business. "Krṣṇa, if You give me this nice thing, then I will surrender." That is not surrender. That is business.

When Prahlada Maharaja was offered benediction that "My dear Prahlada, you have suffered so much for Me even from your father. Now your enemies are all off. You can ask any benediction you like," Prahlada Maharaja said, "Why is this, my dear Lord? Am I a baniya, baṇik, that because I have suffered for You, I shall ask some benediction? No, no, don't offer me like that. Because You are the supreme powerful, whatever I want, I can get from You. And I am born in the asura families. I am inclined for this material enjoyment. So don't delude me, my dear Sir. Then I can ask You. And why shall I ask You? Because I have seen my father, so powerful even the demigods were afraid of him, and You have finished all his power within a second. So why shall I ask for these things? Kindly engage me in the service of Your servant. This much I want. I don't want anything."

Therefore a devotee never asks anything material from the Supreme Personality. As Caitanya Mahaprabhu has taught us, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundariṁ kavitaṁ va jagadisa kamaye [Cc. Antya 20.29, Sikṣaṣṭaka 4]. They are simply satisfied by glorifying the Lord. That is their only satisfaction. If they get the opportunity of glorifying the Lord, as it is said in the previous verse, that sabhajayante mama pauruṣaṇi... Mama pauruṣaṇi, the glorious activities of the Lord. This is the way of bhajana. Satataṁ kirtayanto maṁ yatantas ca drḍha-vrataḥ; [Bg. 9.14]. This is the way of bhakti-yoga. Simply glorify this... Your glorification, so much activities... Krṣṇa therefore comes to give advantage to the devotees for glorifying Him—because He acts. Paritraṇaya sadhunaṁ vinasaya ca duṣkrtam [Bg. 4.8]. To kill the demons and to give protection to the sadhus, He has to work. From the very beginning of Krṣṇa's birth, the enemies are there, demons are there. Kaṁsa advised his constables, "So be very careful. As soon as there is Krṣṇa's birth, immediately inform me, and I shall kill Him." He was always thinking of Krṣṇa, a first-class Krṣṇa conscious, always..., but to kill Him.

Similarly, you will find there are so-called religionists. Their only purpose, so-called scholars, their only purpose is how to kill Krṣṇa. You will find so many commentaries by the politician, by the so-called scholars, but their only aim is how to kill Krṣṇa, how to take away Krṣṇa from Bhagavad-gita. No mention of Bhagavad-gita..., of Krṣṇa. They will talk so many nonsense, but they will never say that "Krṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and He should be worshiped." They will never say. That means asuras. Asuraṁ bhavam. Na maṁ duṣkrtino muḍhaḥ; prapadyante naradhamaḥ;, mayayapahrta-jñanaḥ; [Bg. 7.15]. "Oh, they are very big, big scholars, sir. You are talking about them as muḍhaḥ;, naradhamaḥ;?" Yes. Because although they are so-called scholars, their real knowledge has been taken away. Mayayapahrta-jñanaḥ;. Why this punishment, that their knowledge has been taken away? Asuraṁ bhavam asritaḥ;? "They are simply thinking of killing Me, that's all." How to evade krṣṇa-bhakti, that is their whole propaganda.

So we should not be like that. If we want to be fixed up then, in devotional service, then, as it is advised by Kapiladeva... He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead incarnate. He says, pasyanti te me ruciraṇy amba santaḥ;? "They can see that..." So unless God has got form, how one can see? How God can be nirakara? God is never nirakara, but He's sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaḥ;. His akara is not like us. Isvaraḥ; paramaḥ; krṣṇaḥ; sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaḥ; [Bs. 5.1]. His form is sac-cid-ananda. This body is not sac-cid-ananda. Sat means eternal, and cit means full of knowledge, and ananda means full of bliss. So if we study, "Is our body eternal?" no, sir. It is temporary, say, fifty years, sixty years, utmost hundred years. So it is not eternal, it is not sat. Asat. Asato ma sad gama, the Vedic injunction, that "Don't keep yourself in this asat body. Just get your original sat body, eternal body." We are not interested. We are simply interested with this temporary body: "I am this body." I am not this body. I am spirit soul. I am within this body. This is knowledge. This is called siddhi. So long I am thinking, "I am this body," then I am cats and dogs. They are thinking like that. But when I know that "I am not this body. I am the spirit spark, spirit soul. I am encaged within this body," that is knowledge. That is knowledge. So those who are self-realized spirit soul, they can see.

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

That bhakti means they can see God, Krṣṇa, and they can serve Him. Hrṣikeṇa hrṣikesa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Bhakti means to engage your senses, hrṣika, in the service of the Hrṣikesa. That is bhakti.

So here it is said, pasyanti te me ruciraṇi. Krṣṇa is so beautiful, ruciraṇi. Rucira means very attractive. Now, fortunately, people in Bombay say that our Deity here is more beautiful. They say there is no such Deity in Bombay city. So this is our duty, to dress Krṣṇa in such an attractive way that people at least see that it is very beautiful. Then he becomes a devotee, simply by appreciating. Simply by appreciating, if they say, "Now the Deity worship is very nice," then they go a step forward, step forward immediately, simply by appreciation. Then other things will come gradually. Therefore the temple worship should be exactly to the routine, to the instruction of the sastra and guru and acarya, so that the worshiper in the temple as well as the visitor, both of them will benefit. They will be gradually seeing. Krṣṇa is so kind that He has consented to appear in a way so that we can see. At the present moment we cannot see Krṣṇa as He is spiritually embodied, sad-cid-ananda-vigrahaḥ;, because we have no eyes to see sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaḥ; [Bs. 5.1]. So here is also sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaḥ;, arca-murti. It is not idol worship. The atheist class may say so, but it is not so. Those who have got eyes, they can see. Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, when He entered the temple of Jagannatha, immediately He fainted, "Oh, here is My Lord. Here is My Lord." So one has to become santaḥ;. Then one can see. But it is culture, by culture. Premañjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ; sadaiva [Bs. 5.38]. When you develop that culture, when you develop that love for Krṣṇa, then you will see immediately and you will faint, "Oh, here is my Lord."

So prasanna-vaktra aruṇa-locanani. Prasanna-vaktra. Prasanna means pleasing. Somebody was talking that "Your Deity is just like trying to talk with me." Prasanna-vaktra. Yes. He is here to talk with you, but He is waiting whether you're interested to talk with Him. That's all. Krṣṇa says that teṣaṁ satata-yuktanaṁ bhajataṁ priti-purvakam, buddhi-yogaṁ dadami tam [Bg. 10.10]. He talks, but with whom? Teṣaṁ satata-yuktanam. One who is twenty-four hours engaged with love and faith in the service of the Lord. To whom? Just like if you want to talk with some big man, then you must have qualification. Is it possible that if you want to talk with the big man here, immediately you like? No. You cannot talk. You must be fit to talk with him. Similarly, Krṣṇa is ready to talk with you. He has come. He has descended in arca-murti to talk with you, to be visible by you. Now you make yourself ready and fit to talk with Krṣṇa. Then He will exchange conversation. Santaḥ; sadaiva hrdayeṣu vilokayanti. This is possible. This is a qualification.

So rupaṇi divyani vara-pradani. Divyani. Divya means divine. Divyani. Krṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gita, janma karma ca me divyam [Bg. 4.9]. Divyam. They are not material things. One has to see. So if you say, as it is said, sakaṁ vacaṁ sprhaṇiyaṁ vadanti, sprhaṇiyam, very favorably you talk... Suppose if I say, "You have no eyes. You are blind," this is not favorable. So the nondevotees, Mayavadis, they say that God has no eyes. So it is indirectly saying, "God is blind." So if I say, "You are blind. You nonsense, you are blind," is it favorably talking? Most unfavorable. Directly insulting. So those who are talking about God, nirakara—no eyes, no leg, no head, no tail, nothing, nirakara—they are simply blaspheming, not sprhaṇiyam. God does not want to hear such nonsense things. Therefore it is said, sakaṁ vacaṁ sprhaṇiyaṁ vadanti. You cannot say that "Krṣṇa is blind. Krṣṇa is lame. Krṣṇa has no hands. Krṣṇa has no nothing, nothing." Indirectly saying, "Krṣṇa has..., does not exist." This kind of addressing Krṣṇa, nirakara, is not favorable talking with Krṣṇa.

Favorable talking—if you want to talk with Krṣṇa, then you must consult the Vedic literature, how Krṣṇa is worshiped.

veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalayatakṣaṁ
barhavataṁsam asitambuda-sundaraṅgam
kandarpa-koṭi-kamaniya-viseṣa-sobhaṁ
govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajami
[Bs. 5.30]

"My Lord, Krṣṇa, Govinda, is playing on His flute." Veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalayatakṣam: [Bs. 5.30] "His eyes are just like petals of the lotus flower." Aravinda-dalayatakṣaṁ barhavataṁsam: "Oh, He has some nice peacock feather." These are the Vedic description of Krṣṇa, not that the devotees have imagined some... Just like Mayavadi says, "Just imagine the form of God." God's form cannot be imagined. That is not God. Anything imagination is not fact. It must be factual. And the factual information you get from the Vedas. Not only you get the Vedas, when Krṣṇa was present on this earth He exhibited His rupa, His form, His activities, His lila. Everything He exhibited so kindly. So you have to think of this krṣṇa-lila, Krṣṇa's form, Krṣṇa's activities. Janma karma ca me divyam [Bg. 4.9]. They are divine. They are not material, because Krṣṇa has got divine body, sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaḥ; [Bs. 5.1]. But to favor us, because devotees are always anxious to see, therefore He comes.

When Krṣṇa said, paritraṇaya sadhunaṁ vinasaya ca duṣkrtam, sambhavami yuge yuge... [Bg. 4.8]. He comes for two business. First business is paritraṇaya sadhunam. The sadhus, the santas, or the devotees, they are always, I mean to say, given trouble by this atheistic class of men. So therefore they have no other means. They simply think of Krṣṇa. Just like Prahlada Maharaja. Even his father was giving him trouble, so much trouble that he was..., he wanted to kill him somehow or other. So they... Here, the santas, they come. They have to suffer so much trouble by the demons. Therefore we have already discussed that verse that, what is that? Titikṣavaḥ; karuṇikaḥ; [SB 3.25.21]. A santa means he has to suffer. Just see in the Western countries the Lord Jesus Christ. He was preaching about God, God consciousness. That was the only fault, and he was crucified. Just see. He was crucified. The state ordered him to be crucified because he is talking. Similarly, Hiraṇyakasipu, his five-years-old body, he was talking only of Krṣṇa, Narayaṇa. So therefore his father became enemy. He was trying in so many ways to kill him. This is the very old story, that if you become a devotee, you must be prepared to be put into miserable condition by the demons. That is their business. Asuraṁ bhavam asritaḥ; [Bg. 7.15]. Asuras... Just like even Krṣṇa, even God Himself, He was attempted to be killed by Kaṁsa. Not only that, He engaged so many demons, Putana, Aghasura, Bakasura, Mahisasura, so many asuras. But Krṣṇa is always Krṣṇa. Paritraṇaya sadhunaṁ vinasaya ca duṣkrtam [Bg. 4.8]. He is able to finish these duṣkrtas or the asuras by His omnipotency. That He can do. But the asuras are always... Their only business is to give trouble to God and His devotee.

Therefore it is advised, titikṣavaḥ; karuṇikaḥ; suhrdaḥ; sarva-dehinam [SB 3.25.21]. A devotee should be so advanced that in spite of being troubled by the asuras, he should tolerate, titikṣavaḥ;, and still, he should be kind upon him, not that "This man is talking against me, against God. Therefore I shall be angry and drive him away." No. Titikṣavaḥ; karuṇikaḥ;. Everyone in this material world, more or less, they are asuras, atheists. So if you want to preach, then you have to learn tolerance and speak in such a way that these asura can become also devotee. That is the business.

So here it is said that sakaṁ vacaṁ sprhaṇiyaṁ vadanti. So we should pray in such a way Krṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sprhaṇiyam. Don't think He is dead stone. That is the conclusion of the atheist class of men. No, dead, no. You talk in such a way that He will be pleased upon you. He will be pleased. He is pleased, He is satisfied in Himself, but He wants to see that you are also talking about Him pleasingly. That's all. Therefore He comes. Paritraṇaya sadhunaṁ vinasaya ca duṣkrtam [Bg. 4.8]. You talk unpleasingly or pleasingly; it doesn't matter to Krṣṇa. But if you talk pleasingly, then you become benefited. You become benefited. So therefore there are stotra. Therefore Krṣṇa's another name is Uttamasloka. Uttamasloka mean He is worshiped, God is worshiped, by the best selected words, not patchy words. No. All selected words. So you will find in so many prayers, not only in our Vedic scripture and other scripture also, in Bible, in Koran, the prayer. Prayer is also devotion. Sravaṇaṁ kirtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ; smaraṇaṁ pada-sevanam, arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dasyam [SB 7.5.23]. Vandanam, this vandanam. The Christians and the Muhammadans, they offer vandanam. Although they do not worship the Deity, but they offer prayers to the Lord. That is also good. That is also bhakti.

Arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dasyaṁ sakhyam atma-ni... There are nine different processes. So you accept all of them or some of them or at least one. Then your life is successful. Sprhayanti. Very selected words. You surrender to Him, but don't talk things which does not please Him. You don't say that "God is formless. God has no eyes, no leg, no head." These things are there. Just like in the Vedas it is said, apaṇi-pado javano grahita, that "He has no hand, but He can accept your offerings." But if He has no hand, then how He can offer your offerings, er, how He can accept your offerings? He has His hand, but not like our hand. He can extend His hand millions of miles. Just like Krṣṇa leaves His Goloka, Goloka Vrndavana. That planet is many millions and trillions of miles away. But He can accept what you offer. That is Krṣṇa's hand, not like Your hand, three feet, no. Therefore sometimes in the Vedas it is said that "God has no hand." That means He has no this material hand. But He can accept your offerings. That means He has got hand, but that is a different type. That is explained, sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaḥ; [Bs. 5.1].

So in this way we have to study the science of God, the science of Krṣṇa. Then our life will be successful. And tyaktva dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. And if we can understand Krṣṇa's activities, Krṣṇa's form, Krṣṇa's quality, then we become fit for going back to home, back to Godhead. Tyaktva dehaṁ punar janma naiti mam e... [Bg. 4.9].

Thank you very much. Hare Krṣṇa. (end)

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