“Prabhupada Janmastami Lecture — How to KNOW KRSNA IN TRUTH”

Twenty-four hours, satata-yuktanam, engaged in Krishna’s service, one can understand Krishna by being constantly engaged in His service.
Tesam satata-yuktanam. Not that weekly once go to the church. No. That is Krishna consciousness movement. We are teaching people how to become twenty-four hours engaged in Krishna’s service. This is our business. We don’t allow karma, jnana, yoga. No. Simply. And that is krsna-bhakti.

Jnana-karmady-anavrtam. There is no question of jnana and karma. That is not pure bhakti. Pure bhakti means anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam, anukulyena krsnanusilanam, simply to serve Krishna favorably, as Krishna becomes pleased. This is bhakti. This is pure devotion.
So this Krishna consciousness movement, therefore, teaching pure devotional service to Krishna.

That will solve all problems. So how one can come to that stage? That is being explained in this portion of the Bhagavata, that srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah.

Just hear. You haven’t got to do anything more. Just hear about Krishna.

Srnvatam sva-kathah… Then everything will be cleared, gradually.
This is our purpose. This center is giving chance that you come here and hear about… We, we don’t make any flattery to satisfy the whims of the ordinary… We speak from Srimad-Bhagavatam, we speak from Bhagavad-gita, and present them as it is, without any adulteration.

This is our position. If you like, then you make progress. If you don’t like, that is your option. But we cannot make any compromise. We must present the sastra as it is.
And where is the difficulty? Everything is explained here.

Nityam bhagavata-sevaya. You have to attend Bhagavata class and serve the bhagavata person nityam, daily. If you cannot, that is a different thing. But this is the process. Nityam bhagavata-sevaya. Nasta-prayesu abhadresu. This conclusion comes when one is partially advanced.

Nasta-prayesu. Not fully. Then it will come. He’ll be ready to serve Bhagavatam — Bhagavata, he person bhagavata and the book Bhagavata.
Nityam bhagavata-sevaya, bhagavaty uttama-sloke bhaktir bhavati naisthiki. Nistha, I have explained already yesterday. Tada, at that time, when you are fixed up, “Now I shall devote my life in Krishna consciousness,” when you come to this conclusion… Nityam.

That will come. Nityam bhagavata-sevaya, bhaktir bhavati naisthiki. Not deviated. But… Not this worship, that worship, this worship, this worship… No. Kamais tais tair hrta-jnana yajante anya-devatah…..

Naisthiki, without any disturbance. Tada, at that time. Tada… What is the result? Rajas-tamo-bhavah… There are three bhavas:
rajo-guna-bhava, tamo-guna-bhava and sattva-guna-bhava. So as soon as you come to the platform of devotional service, the two inferior qualities, namely rajo-guna and tamo-guna, they become finished.

Simply sattva-guna remains. Because there are three gunas. If two gunas are finished, no more useful, then the other one is there. Tada rajas tamo-bhavah. What are the symptoms of rajas-tamo-bhavah? Now, kama and lobha. Those who are infected with this rajas-tamo-bhavah, they are very lusty, greedy, lobhi. They are not satisfied.

The modern civilization is based on rajas-tamo-bhavah. Nobody is satisfied. Everyone is greedy. And lusty. Kama-lobhadayas ca ye. Kama. So long you are lusty, so long you are greedy, there is no question of devotional service. There is no question of advancement to spiritual life. So therefore you have to come to the platform of sattva-guna, where simply knowledge… There is no other thing, ignorance or greediness, only knowledge.
So at that time, it is said, ceta etair anaviddham.

Because everything is within the heart. We become greedy, we become lusty on account of distortion of the heart disease, kama. Tada hrdi lobha-kamau apahinoti. That is a heart disease. This kama and lobha is a heart disease. Actually, you don’t require this, but it is a kind of disease. “More and more and more and more and more.”

Never satisfied. So we have to cure this disease. And this process, simple process, Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given: ceto-darpana-marjanam. To cure the heart disease of lusty desires and greediness is chanting Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam. These are the shastric injunction, and spoken by personalities like Lord Caitanya and other acaryas.

(I have below added here parts from another lecture  he gave later on)

721109SB.VRN | Lectures | 211456/530501
You have to still go further. Simply to understand that “I am Brahman,” “I have now realized myself as Brahman,” that is not perfection of knowledge. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma. One who becomes realized souls, self-realized, he becomes immediately perfectly joyful.

Because our all lamentation is due to our material identification. Socati kanksati. We are simply lamenting for our loss, and we are simply hankering for some gain. This is material activities. Everyone is struggling to gain something which he does not
possess, and he’s lamenting for something which he has lost.

But when he realizes himself that “I have nothing to gain and nothing to lose; I have nothing to do with this material world,” that is called brahma-bhutah. That is Brahman realization. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati, samah sarvesu bhutesu. At that time, he realizes that all living entities, they are spirit soul, panditah sama-darsinah. That is equal vision–not the bodily vision. So long we have got bodily vision, there cannot be any equality. That is not possible. When one sees only to the spiritual existence of a living entity, there is question of seeing equally, equal vision, universal brotherhood. That is possible. Not on the bodily platform. That is not possible.

That is required. And in that stage of devotional life, one can
understand what is Krishna. Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah. That is tattvatah understanding. In another place it is said, in the Bhagavad-gita, uh, Srimad-Bhagavatam: evam prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah. Unless one becomes jubilant, joyful, by executing devotional service, he cannot understand what is Krishna. It is not possible. To understand superficially Krishna, that He…, He appeared in Mathura in His uncle’s prison house…,” that is also nice. But one should try to understand Krishna in fact. That fact can be revealed by devotional service. You cannot challenge Krishna. Krishna will reveal. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah. If we become sevonmukha, if we try to serve Krishna….

(OK now back to the original lecture)

going there. Thousands and thousands of people are going there for gambling. This is tamo-guna. Why? Lobha: “I must get more money. I must get more money.” Lobha, kama. Kama-lobhadayah. So we have to get out of all this entanglement. Then there is spiritual life. Otherwise don’t talk of spiritual life.

So this is fact. Tada. Tada means when you are fixed up in devotional service. Tada, kama-lobhadayas ca ye. Tada rajas-tamo-bhavah. We have to get rid of this rajo-guna and tamo-guna.
We have to be fixed up in sattva-guna, pure life. Then sthitam sattve prasidati. If you are situated in the sattva-guna, then you will be peace of mind. And that is krsna-bhakta. That is explained in the Caitanya-caritamrta.

krsna-bhakta—-niskama, ataeva ‘santa’
bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kami—-sakali ‘asanta’

Krishna-bhakta, he does not desire anything. Krishna-bhakta says, “I don’t mind I am born lowborn.” No, because he’ll chant Hare Krishna. Lowborn or highborn, he has nothing to do. If one is engaged in devotional service, it doesn’t matter whether he’s lowborn and highborn. As soon as he takes to devotional service, he becomes above lowborn and highborn. Sa gunan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate. He’s in the Brahman platform.

So in this way, as they are stated in the sastra, if you follow, then it is step by step. First beginning is srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah. Try to hear Krishna’s message. That is Bhagavad-gita As It Is.
You hear it. You understand it. What is the difficulty?

Srnvatam sva-kathah. Don’t misinterpret. Hear it as it is. Krishna says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru. Hear it and execute it. Where is the difficulty?

But we shall not agree to, we shall not hear. We shall not act according to the instruction given. And that is our misfortune. Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore says, etadrsi tava krpa bhagavan mamapi durdaivam idrsam ihajani nanuragah: “You are so merciful that in this age You have incarnated, You have descended in Your name.”

Namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktih. And in the name there is all potencies. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate. There are multipotencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All the potencies are there in the holy name of the Lord. Namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalah. Desa-kala-patra.

So this opportunity is there. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, etadrsi tava krpa: “My Lord, You are so kind, You have given us this chance.” Durdaivam idrsam ihajani nanuragah. “But I am so unfortunate, I have no attraction for this chanting Hare Krishna.” This is our position.

So if you are serious about peace of mind, if you are serious about advancing in spiritual culture, spiritual life, then you must follow what is there in the sastra and spoken by Krishna Himself, spoken by Lord Caitanya Himself. Then life is successful. Thank you very much. (end)

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Damaghosa das