Harikesa: "The devotee should first concentrate his mind on the Lord's lotus feet, which are adorned with the marks of a thunderbolt, a goad, a banner and a lotus. The splendor of their beautiful ruby nails resembles the orb of the moon and dispels the thick gloom of one's heart." [SB 3.28.21]

Prabhupada: Sañcintayed bhagavatas caraṇaravindam. This is the beginning of meditation, sañcintayet. It is not nirviseṣa, nirakara meditation. What is that meditation? Here it is, direction, sañcintayet. Sañcintayet means meditation. What about, meditation? Sañcintayed bhagavatas caraṇaravindam. First of all meditate on the lotus feet, caraṇaravindam, lotus feet of Krṣṇa. And if you minutely see, then you will find the symptoms are there. Our feet and Krṣṇa's feet, there is difference. Why difference? Because on the sole these marks are there. What is that? Vajra aṅkusa, dhvaja, saroruha. Four things are there: thunderbolt, mark of thunderbolt; and kusa, the mark of... What is that instrument which controls the elephant?

Harikesa: Driving rod?

Prabhupada: No. It is called aṅkusa in Sanskrit. It is like this.

Harikesa: Hook.

Prabhupada: Maybe, whatever. So aṅkusa; vajra, thunderbolt; then aṅkusa; then dhvaja, flag; and saroruha, lotus—these four things are there. You have seen. Sometimes Viṣṇu lotus feet is painted and these signs are there. So sañcintayet. What about, sañcintayet? These things, minutely, that "Here is the lotus feet of Krṣṇa, and on the sole, upon the sole, these marks are painted." Lañchanaḍhyam, deriving. It is very brilliant, beautiful. Krṣṇa's everything is beautiful. Uttuṅga-rakta-vilasan-nakha-cakravala. This is the special significance of Krṣṇa's hand, that these nails are raised and reddish, uttuṅga-rakta-vilasan-nakha-cakravala. It is just like cakravala bird. Jyotsnabhiḥ;. And from the effulgence of the nails, jyotsnabhiḥ;, ahata, if you see the brilliance and effulgence of the nails of Krṣṇa, nails in the finger of Krṣṇa, then the result will be that ahata-mahad-dhrdayandhakaram.

This material world, we are living in darkness, hrdayandhakaram. Our heart is dark. We do not know what is what. So if you simply concentrate on the lotus feet of Krṣṇa as it is described—there are marks—then, in contact with such vision, your hrdayandhakaram, the dirty things, andhakaram... Andhakaram means darkness or dirty things. That will be ahata, off, attacked: "Get out!" Ahata. Jyotsnabhir ahata-mahad-dhrdayandhakaram. Mahat means very great. This is our material condition, that we are covered, absorbed in so many darkness, and still we want to show some intelligence. This is material existence. Therefore we always say "fools and rascals." He is... He does not know anything clearly, and simply he wants to see with imperfect eyes, imperfect instrument, microscope, telescope. What is the value of this? It is simply andhakara. The whole world is... This is called darkness. We can... We experience every moment. If there was no sun, then what is the value of this world? We have got good experience. In the Western countries where there is no sun, it is hell, simply hell, simply hell without sun. All the condemned countries are devoid of sunlight. This morning we were speaking that London, it is without sunlight practically throughout the whole year. Long ago, in 1969, in the television, the television man asked me that "Where is hell?" and "It is here in London." (laughter) That was published in the paper. There is such a... And always dark and always moist and always so cold. So this is hell. Why you have to search out hell? Here is hell. Simply you bring money from outside, exploiting others, and construct big, big building. It is little attractive. People come here as tourist. Otherwise who comes here to see the hell? So actually that is the...

So anyone's heart is always clouded with ignorance and rubbish knowledge. If you want to drive away this knowledge... Ajñana-timirandhasya jñanañjana-salakaya. This ignorance... This material world is tama. A Vedic injunction is tamasi ma: "Don't remain in this darkness." If there is light, why we shall remain in the darkness? That is intelligence. If there is light, why should we rot in the darkness? So there is light. Jyotir gamaḥ;, brahmajyoti. Jyotir gamaḥ;, Brahman. That Brahman world go, not this material world. Yasya prabha [Bs. 5.40]. What is that Brahman world? The Brahman world means where there is complete effulgence, bodily rays of Krṣṇa. That is Brahman world. Just like here the bodily rays of the sun makes it clear, so brilliant, what we can see. Then what is the sunshine? It is the bodily rays of the sun. Why don't you believe that? The example is there, you learn. If a material thing like the sun globe or the sun-god, he has got so much bodily effulgence that it is keeping lighted all over the universe, just imagine what is the bodily brilliance of Krṣṇa.

That is described in the sastra. Yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koti [Bs. 5.40]. Krṣṇa's body is bluish or blackish; therefore you see the sky bluish because the rays in the spiritual world is effulgence, bluish effulgence, and that is being reflected through the sky. Yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koti [Bs. 5.40]. His bodily light is being reflected in millions and trillions of universes. Yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koti. Jagad-aṇḍa [Bs. 5.40]. Jagad-aṇḍa means... Aṇḍa, it is round. Aṇḍa means egg shape. We don't say it is flat. Sastra never says, "Flat." Then you correct, "No, no, it is not flat. It is round." This is sastra. Long, long years, in the beginning, it was called round, aṇḍa. Goloka, go, Goloka, Bhurloka. Goloka means round. Goloka Vrndavana. Everything is round. So jagad-aṇḍa. Aṇḍa, aṇḍa means egg shape. Jagad-aṇḍa-koti. The each and every universe is egg shape; it is covered. So yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koti koṭiṣu [Bs. 5.40]. And each and every universe, koṭiṣu... In each, not that in one universe. We see so many universes, one universe, but there are many millions of universes. Yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koti koṭiṣu aseṣa-vasudhadi bhinnam [Bs. 5.40]. And in each and every universe there are so many planets, aseṣa, you cannot count—unlimited—in one universe, and there are millions of universes. What is your material knowledge? What do you know? You are trying to go to the moon planet. That is also you committing mistake. And what about the millions of universes?

Therefore our knowledge is very, very limited, poor. Poor fund of knowledge, and still we are proud. Sapari phora-phorayate.(?) Just like a small fish, you have seen in the pond. Little water, say one feet—(makes sound) "phor, phor, phor, phor." But the big fishes, they are in the deep in the water, big fish. So we take knowledge from the big fish, not from the small fish, "phor, phor, phor, phor." So phora-phorayate(?), this kind of knowledge will not satisfy us. We take from the big fish, one who knows. Then who knows? Krṣṇa knows. And one who knows from Krṣṇa, he knows. Acaryavan puruṣo veda. One who is acaryavan, who has taken shelter of acarya, he knows. Why? Because acarya receives knowledge from Krṣṇa and he distributes knowledge to his disciple. That is perfect knowledge. Acaryavan puruṣaḥ;. Tad-vijñanarthaṁ sa gurum evabhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. These are the instruction.

So actually we are in the darkness. This whole world is dark. It is... It requires, therefore, the sunlight, the moonlight, the electric light, the fire, the lamp, because it is dark. Because it is dark. But there is a spiritual world where here is no need of. Na yatra bhasyate suryo na sasaṅko na pavakaḥ;. In the Bhagavad-gita you'll find, na yatra bhasyate suryaḥ;. There is no need of this surya. There is no need of surya. Surya is required, the sun is required, because this world, material world, is dark, very, very dark, dense darkness. And we are born in this darkness. Our heart is full of darkness. Simply by the Krṣṇa's grace there is sun, there is moon, there is fire, there is electric... Therefore we can see. Otherwise you remain in the darkness. But if you go to the spiritual world... Tamasi ma: "You don't keep yourself in this darkness; come to the light." "What is that? There is also the sun, moon?" No. There is no need. Na yatra bhasayate suryo na sasaṅko na pavakaḥ;. Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramaṁ mama [Bg. 15.6]. These are there. Where is Bhagavad-gita? Find out. Na yatra bhasayate suryaḥ;. Who will find out? This is spiritual world. There is no need of sun, moon, electricity, fire. We are inviting, or, rather, trying to go to that world where there is no need of sun, there is no need of moon, there is no need of electricity. And somehow or other, if we can go there, yad gatva na nivartante [Bg. 15.6], then you'll haven't got to come back again in this darkness. This is Krṣṇa consciousness movement.

So at least one life try to going back to that place. Then your whole problem will be solved. Here we are paying so much electricity bill, and if there is no sun, we are rotten place. So why do you suffer in this way? Come here. There is no need of sun; there is no need of electricity. And the prime gain is that if you can go there, there is no need of coming back again. So those who have no information of the spiritual world, they stick to this material world as everything is here. But those who have got knowledge, mahatma, whose atma is very great, who can understand the greatness of God and His great knowledge and take knowledge from Him, he is perfect. So here is the knowledge. Everything is there. He is giving... We... Not that back to home, back to Godhead, is our imagination. No, not imagination. Just like if somebody gives you information of America, that "America is very rich city. There are so many big, big bridges and road and motor cars." So naturally you become inclined: "Why not see once America, how it is?" So similarly, here is the information about the spiritual world, and why don't you try to go back to home, back to Godhead?

What is this foolishness? Why should you pay the electric bill? Go there and live there. There is no need of... Na yatra... Na tad bhasayate. It is... The spiritual world is not lighted by the sun, moon. Na tad bhasayate suryaḥ;. Because everyone is effulgent, every planet is effulgent, so therefore there is no need of these things. There is no ignorance. There is no scarcity. There is no miserable condition. That is called Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means vigata kuṇṭha yasmad iti vaikuṇṭha. Kuṇṭha, anxiety. Here every man, even the richest man is full of anxiety. Your president, he is the richest person in this country, and he is the third richest man in the world, somebody. But do you think he is without anxiety? No. That is not possible. That is not possible. He is full of anxiety: "The other party may not take." (aside:) You sit down properly. Other party may not take his position. This is all politicians' anxiety. Even the king of heaven, Indra, he is also full of anxiety. There are Hiraṇyakasipus. So sometimes they drive away that Indra, King Indra, and he enjoys there. This is going on, not only in this planet. In all planet, wherever you go, the same condition prevails. Abrahma-bhuvanal lokan punar avartino 'rjuna. Don't think that by going to the heavenly planet you'll be happy there. No. There is no possibility. Either you go to the heavenly planet or you go to the hell, you will have to undergo the threefold miserable conditions.

Therefore inviting. Krṣṇa is coming, inviting. We are also, on behalf of Krṣṇa, inviting. Na yatra bhasayate suryaḥ;. So you come to that spiritual life. Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramaṁ mama [Bg. 15.6]. And what is? How you can go there? Very simple. Very simple. Krṣṇa has given you the simple program. What is that? Manmana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji maṁ namaskuru mam evaiṣyasi asaṁsayaḥ; [Bg. 18.65]. If you simply follow these four principles without arguing foolishly and rascally, manmana bhava mad-bhakto [Bg. 18.65], these four principles. "Always think of Me," Krṣṇa says. Not I am saying, but Krṣṇa personally saying, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto: "Just become My devotee," and maṁ namaskuru, "worship Me." So it doesn't require any M.A., Ph.D. degrees. It doesn't require that Apratihata. Bhakti is apratihata, without any hindrance. Nobody can say that "Because I am poor," "Because I am uneducated," "Because I am black," "Because I am white"—no "because." Any condition of life, you can become a devotee and go back to home, back to This is Krṣṇa consciousness movement. No material condition can check you. This is our movement.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya! All glories to Srila Prabhupada. [break]

Prabhupada: Yes, begin by seeing the lotus feet of Krṣṇa. That is advised here. Tat caraṇaravindam. Sa vai manaḥ; krṣṇa padaravinda. If you worship the Deity, always see the lotus feet, then gradually you will understand.

Devotee (1): Should we not gaze...?

Prabhupada: Huh? Yes, gradually. No, no. First of all see the lotus feet and meditate. When you are fully practiced to see the lotus feet simply by thinking of Krṣṇa, then that business is finished. Then go up, then go up, then go up, then go up. Then see the face. This is the process of meditation. Not... Therefore I said, "Not jumping over the face, rasa-lila." What do you know about Krṣṇa's lila, rasa-lila? First of all study what is Krṣṇa, then Krṣṇa's rasa-lila. Any other?

Jñana: Srila Prabhupada, will you please explain the phrase, I mean, "serving the lotus feet of the spiritual master," "serving the lotus feet."

Prabhupada: Yes. Give little water and tulasi and flower. That's all. It is very difficult job? Then everyone can do it. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktya prayacchati. No. Simply... Just as Advaita Prabhu, He simply offered Gaṅga-jala and tulasi to please the Lord to come. Caitanya Mahaprabhu came. This is... There is no difficulty at all. Because we simply use..., misuse our intelligence, misuse our opportunity, there is trouble. Otherwise there is no difficulty. Where is the difficulty? Tulasi-patra you can have, and little water, offer to the, on the lotus feet of Krṣṇa, and pray, "Give me intelligence so that I can serve You nicely." And he gives intelligence. Teṣaṁ satata-yuktanam [Bg. 10.10]. If you are continually giving tulasi flower and water and praying, "Krṣṇa, give me intelligence how can I serve You nice," then Krṣṇa says, "Yes." Teṣaṁ nityabhiyuktanam: "One who is engaged in this way, teṣaṁ nityabhiyuktanam... What is that?

Brahmananda: Teṣaṁ satata-yuktanam.

Prabhupada: Teṣaṁ satata-yuktanaṁ bhajataṁ priti-purvakam [Bg. 10.10]. When Krṣṇa sees that "He is worshiping Me with faith and reverence and love," then buddhi-yogam dadami tam. He'll give you intelligence. He is within you. Therefore I was saying, "First of all become fit. First of all deserve. Then desire." Why foolishly you desire something for which you do not deserve? That is your fault. That is misuse. Don't desire something without being deserving. So these are the process given how to think, how to meditate upon Krṣṇa. So practice it. Become qualified. Then you'll see everything. Without being qualified, why you want to see? This devotional service means practicing how to become qualified. Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktaṁ, sarvopadhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. You have to become fully cleansed. Tat-paratvena nirmalam. Sarva... What is that? Anyabhilaṣita-sunyam [Brs. 1.1.11]. We have to become completely zero about material desires. Anyabhilaṣita-sunyam. Then you become qualified. So long you have got any pinch of material desires, you are disqualified. Krṣṇa says, sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Parityajya means giving up completely, cent percent, no reservation. In this way, surrendered, that is the qualification. Everything is there. No reservation. And Krṣṇa will give you chance: "All right, if you have got still desire for material enjoyment, do it." "I want to become a king." "All right, become a king." Then "I want to become a dog." "All right, become a dog." He gives you both opportunity. And we are doing that. We're doing that. We are rotating throughout the whole universe in different types of bodies just to fulfill our damned desires, that's all. Therefore your first qualification is no desire. Simply desire to worship Krṣṇa. That is qualification. Then everything will be revealed. Buddhi yogaṁ dadami tam. Then everything will come from Him. Chant Hare Krṣṇa.

Devotees: Jaya Srila Prabhupada!