19800606 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.2.39

SB 7.2.39 ya icchayeśaḥ sṛjatīdam avyayo ya eva rakṣaty avalumpate ca yaḥ  tasyābalāḥ krīḍanam āhur īśituś carācaraṁ nigraha-saṅgrahe prabhuḥ 

TRANSLATION: The boy addressed the women: O weak women! Only by the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is never diminished, is the entire world created, maintained and again annihilated. This is the verdict of the Vedic knowledge. This material creation, consisting of the moving and nonmoving, is exactly like His plaything. Being the Supreme Lord, He is completely competent to destroy and protect.

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Gurumaharaja's Elaboration

Why doesn't Kṛṣṇa have to answer to anyone?

Who is the boy that is speaking here? [Does] Anyone know?

A devotee : Yamaraja.

Gurumaharaja : Yamaraja, yes.

There is a Bengali proverb which runs, "If Kṛṣṇa protects one, if the Supreme Lord protects one, then who can kill him? And if Kṛṣṇa decides to kills someone, then who can protect him?" Rakhe Kṛṣṇa mare ke? Mare Kṛṣṇa rakhe ke?

For instance, some people are in their homes, behind big doors and big guards, with so much protection; yet they die. Or they are raided by dacoits and everything is stolen away. Or another person may be carrying lacks of rupees in his briefcase and walking down the street and yet not be bothered by anyone, because ultimately everything, you see , is in the hands of Kṛṣṇa. Iccha eva… cha eva icchanu rupa… This material nature creates and annihilates, and maintains simply at the will, at the wish of Kṛṣṇa.

When we desire, "Let me move my hand," my hand moves. If we build a castle out of sand, we can also knock it down ; such things are our prerogatives.

All the living entities are the parts and parcels of Kṛṣṇa: mamaivamsa jiva loke jiva bhuta sanatana. Some of them are cooperating and some of them are not. So, out of His own will Kṛṣṇa desired, "Now, let me create the material world." [He did so] to give the uncooperative parts and parcels independence [so that] they can have an opportunity to satisfy their independent ideas[desires], until eventually[they are willing to cooperate and] go back to Him. He doesn’t allow His supremacy to be compromised. That is the difference. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme; therefore He can do whatever He likes, and that is considered to be all-good. His action is the standard. On the other hand, the impersonalist philosophers are thinking, “I am God.” Yet, at any moment, they can be put under so many miserable conditions of this material world. What kind of God is that? Here we see that in no way can Kṛṣṇa be compromised.

Balarama, appeared in the meeting where Romaharsana was sitting on his big vyasasana. There were so many thousands of students, great sages, listening to Romaharsana, preparing to hear the message of Bhagavat. Everyone stood up to greet Balarama. But Romaharsana was probably thinking " I am seated on the vyasasan, so Kṛṣṇa Himself, Balarama has come, but the guru is of course non-different[from God] ... " Who knows exactly what he was thinking? He was thinking, "Somehow or other I am on this vyasasan, and therefore I don’t have to stand up." The ambassador may be somewhere, representing the king, and everybody may stand up [to show him respec]. But when the king himself comes, won't the ambassador would stand up? Of course the ambassador would stand up; he is simply the servant of the king. When the ambassador goes to a foreign country he may be given so many receptions, and he may be given so much honor, but after all, he is nothing but the peon to the king; he simply bears the message of the king. He is a messenger. If the king comes and the ambassador thinks, “ this is my house, ” that of course is a mistake on his part.

The example given is : Romaharsana is seated on his vyasasan [not getting up to show Balarama respect]. Balarama comes, takes a blade of grass and he touches him with it. And simply by touching him with a blade of grass, he takes his life. Then everyone starts to lament ; but nobody can say anything because Balaram is svatantra isvara. He is the independent Personality of Godhead. He can do as He pleases. They were now lamenting, "Who will speak the Bhagavatam to us? He was our teacher." They simply approached Him with a question, requesting Him to solve their problem. Not to challenge,‘Why did you take his life ? You had no right!" The Lord has every right. But they were in a predicament. So Balarama assigned Suta Goswami (the son of Romaharsana) the task of giving Bhagavatam to them. So this is the situation. Kṛṣṇa is the independent Personality of Godhead. No one can dictate to Him. Of course in love He may accept to do something, that is also His independence. He is the reservoir of all the best qualities, of all good qualities. Even the qualities of this material world that appear to be bad, are good in Him. So naturally He has got compassion, He has a loving nature, mercy, friendliness, forgiveness, benevolence… He so many qualities.

Therefore naturally, if someone surrenders to Him, and treats Him as his eternal master, as his friend, [Kṛṣṇa will reciprocate] ; Kṛṣṇa is not one who cannot reciprocate. He is more able than anyone. But no one can make any demand on Kṛṣṇa. There is no other cause than love which Kṛṣṇa has to respond to ( even then Kṛṣṇa is independent). It is not that He has to listen to anyone; He may choose to listen to His loved one, He may accept that position out of His causeless, inconceivable mercy, and qualities. But He is independent ; He can do as He pleases. If some devotee takes Kṛṣṇa for granted, takes the spiritual master for granted, then immediately his devotional service is hampered.

”I’ve done so much for my spiritual master,” or Kṛṣṇa, for that matter." We don’t serve Kṛṣṇa, except through the spiritual master. Now, what is He going to do for Me? He is not giving me enough mercy. Why is He giving my god-brother so much mercy? I am better than he is ; I’ve done more service, I am more sincere in every respect, and I am so much more intelligent. Why is it? That person… He is a rascal.”

The spiritual master has, in relation to his disciples, the same quality as the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; he is completely independent. He can give or recall his mercy as he pleases. No obligation. If the disciple does not follow, the spiritual master is not obligated. He can give his mercy according to the way he sees it. He may give his mercy either by neglect or by attention. One can lament or pray...to get some attention; that’s another thing. But we cannot demand… no demand can be made on Kṛṣṇa.

Some devotees may even be great devotees [but still they cannot demand that Kṛṣṇa appear ]. Just like Narada Muni was meditating on Kṛṣṇa, [on the] holy name, chanting. Suddenly Kṛṣṇa appeared to him. And then Kṛṣṇa disappeared. When Kṛṣṇa appeared Narada Muni was taken to the heights of ecstasy, of complete jubilation,(inaudible) and the next moment, Kṛṣṇa disappeared and he was cast down into the depths of despair, "Where is Kṛṣṇa?"

Again he tried to adjust his sitting position, tried to do the pranayama, tried chanting the mantra, tried all the different ways and means he had tried before to bring back Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa is not subject to appearance [upon our] mechanical gymnastics ; or even by the practice of devotional service, by sadhana-bhakti. Kṛṣṇa is not obligated to come. You may say, "if I perform 3 lacks of names, 300,000 names, Kṛṣṇa must appear." There's no such mechanical process. And even if you chant even one crore of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, Kṛṣṇa does not have to come; no obligation. One can go on practicing devotional service for one crore of births, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, without seeing Kṛṣṇa. If one does not avoid offenses in his devotional service, then he won’t make progress. Kṛṣṇa comes by His own sweet will. As long as one maintains this proud attitude of the false conception of our own importance in relation to Kṛṣṇa, in relation to the spiritual master, in relation to others, not realizing how infinitesimal, how insignificant we are, Kṛṣṇa is will not come. Such an attitude causes us to commit offenses, evaluating how much devotional service we perform, and accordingly how much service or how much surrender we can avoid. That’s our pitfall ; that's our downfall.

So, we should never think that we are indispensable in Kṛṣṇa’s service. In fact, it is mentioned that sometimes devotees get elevated to the platform of bhava. Bhava platform is where one cries, tears flow from the eyes, hairs stand on end ; the asta sattvika bhava is manifested. He's completely and continuously engaged in devotional service. In that position Kṛṣṇa may keep him waiting for a thousand births, without appearing, without bringing him [back to His abode], relishing the desire of the devotee to come to Him. Kṛṣṇa may sometimes walk up to the devotee and stand next to him; then the devotee, smelling the aroma of His body, go mad looking [for Him], saying. "Where is Kṛṣṇa? What is this!" Sometimes Kṛṣṇa may even touch the devotee, without appearing. Of course that is a very elevated platform. The point[question] is, what attitude should the devotee take? This is important because we have to avoid offenses.

Sometimes devotees ask, “Why is it – I am chanting for three years, I am trying so hard– that I am not getting any taste for chanting? I don’t see what is in this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement.” But another person chants just for one day, and immediately he gets a taste. And it's not that in the past three years he got no taste at all; it is just that at that moment, he is in māyā.

The reason why someone does not get a taste is because he commits offenses and does not understand how to avoid offenses. He doesn’t obey the instructions of the spiritual master or criticizes the scriptures and Vaiṣṇavas; he commits sinful acts on the strength of chanting or thinks that Kṛṣṇa and the demigods are the same. He adds his own imagination and ideas to the holy name, not knowing that Kṛṣṇa and the holy name are non-different. He preaches fanatically to unfaithful people, not seeing that he is straying away from Kṛṣṇa or thinks that this [chanting] is some type of pious activity for going to Svarga-loka, and so on and so forth. So as a result it is not that one does not get the taste – it is but his fault; his negligence.

A devotee who had committed an offense to Lord Caitanya’s devotees and when he went to see Lord Caitanya and Lord Caitanya said, "I won’t see him anymore. And do not bring him before me. I don’t want to see the face of who's committed such an offense." So that devotee was very much frustrated that he could not see Lord Caitanya. He felt so miserable that he was not able to see Lord Caitanya; so he begged Lord Caitanya's messenger, “When will I be able to see Lord Caitanya again?” And Lord Caitanya said to the messenger, "After a crore of births –after 10 million births– he can see Me." And when the messenger said that he could see Lord Caitanya after 10 million births, the devotee started jumping and singing “Haribol! Haribol!!! Gaura haribol!!! Then (unlear) hope, he thought, "Never again will I be able to see Lord Caitanya again! And when he heard that he could see Lord Caitanya only after 10 million births, he was so filled with jubilation.

In this material world, brahmanda brahmite kona bhagavan jiva, guru kṛṣṇa prasade paya bhakti-latā bījā. Do you know for how many births we’ve been in this material world? There is no computer that can come up with the figure, without using multiple systems. Brahmanda brahmite. One brahmanda is like a sealed prison, which is created at the birth of Brahmā and destroyed in the end; that’s why it is called Brahmāṇḍa. It lasts for the lifetime of Brahmā. Brahma lives… His one day is : 4,300,000 [earth years] times one thousand (4,300,000x 1000=4,300,000000). And His one night is also the same duration. And Brahma lives his day and night, for a thirty-day month, for a 12-month year and, altogether, for a duration of 100 such years. And brahmanda brahmite, we are wandering from universe to universe, because after Brahma’s life the all material world is dissolved; then again when Kṛṣṇa desires He creates, and again go into a new universe and stay for one lifetime of Brahmā… as bugs, as insects, as human beings, and again[slide] back down[into animal life]. And we are wandering like this, brahmanda brahmite, from universe to universe, and it is not that it takes [just] one day to go from one universe to the next. What is a million births?

If the devotee thinks, "I’ve served so long and if I don’t get Kṛṣṇa within that time, then I will try something else," then he has no faith; one has to have the determination that there is nothing in this material world!!! Worth having!!! I want nothing but Kṛṣṇa. And I have no (unclear). My (inaudible) is that I simply want to serve Kṛṣṇa, under any condition.

Kṛṣṇa is not so cruel that He does not give the situation that we require to serve Him. But if the devotee who is going to actually get Kṛṣṇa, is one who is simply prepared or determined, or simply fixed in the desire, "I have no other goal than to meet Kṛṣṇa," then it is pure devotion– anyabilasita sunyam jnana karma anavrtam anukuliena.Kṛṣṇanu silanam...bhaktir uttama– even if someone is not so advanced. Arjuna was told, “You simply think of Me.” He said, “ I can't do it. To simply think of You, Kṛṣṇa, is so difficult; because the mind is more difficult to control than the raging wind." Of course, Arjuna was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, but he thought, "Well. it may be difficult. You show me another way.

Actually, Arjuna was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, but still he asked, for our benefit, ”All right, if I can't think of You always, what else can I do?” “ All right, then practice thinking of Me.” The devotee should understand– even if he is not able to always think of Kṛṣṇa– what the goal is.

If we start thinking that not being able to think of Kṛṣṇa is all right, is good enough, and make [come up] some type of pure psychology, "My other[peers]…are not so advanced, so I’m not so advanced, so I’m doing good enough. We have to take the guru, the sastra, and the sadhu as our standard. If each individual devotee is fixed with[adheres to] the absolute standard, then he makes absolute progress. What is the trouble with contemporary religion? Everyone is basing his standard on the relative imperfections of the people they see around him; so gradually it goes further and further off [track]. " My grandmother followed ekadashi, she fasted on purnima, she did Kṛṣṇa puja, she said ‘jay sri Kṛṣṇa’ any time she saw anyone, and she always wore tilak, so then my grandfather he left off the tilak, and he left off ekadashis, but he used to bow down before the deities and then my father used to smoke and take tea, but he used also say, "jay sri Kṛṣṇa," when he saw people and… What am I doing? I’m drinking wine but also put Tulsi on my chicken(a devotee laughs) Thus it goes from this point to the next one, and then you see what is happening as the culture goes down : the family breaks up, the traditions are ruined and, step by step, people go further and further into ignorance, and the same thing can happen in any spiritual movement.

What is the system of guru parampara? It is simply that they are sweepers ; guru means he is the sweeper that sweeps out all the dirt to maintain the pure line. We have to be fixed-up [convinced about] what the goal is. And maya's trick is first of all to make us forget Kṛṣṇa and then to make us fall down. First forgetfulness is to forget what pure devotional service is, what my goal is. [We]start thinking that my relative position in bhakti, my position is good enough. And as soon as we become (unclear), as soon as we become lethargic in that way, and stop trying to endeavor for perfection, then we fall down, that is the next step ; then gradually we fall down, because we lose our taste... Why am I not getting a taste? Because we are not trying to become pure devotees; that’s why we are not getting any taste. One tries to maintain himself in some middle position, losing sight of the goal. He knows the material world is miserable( theoretically),but he is not determined "I want to reach Kṛṣṇa’." So while getting the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, and a little bit of protection from material misery, he is making progress back to[toward] Kṛṣṇa, he is progressing on the way, but if he thinks this is good enough – one foot in maya one foot on{practicing] Kṛṣṇa{consciousness}, then he is finished. Then Kṛṣṇa (unclear) His shelter. Then he no more looks up to Kṛṣṇa, he looks back [turns]to maya. You can't keep … What happens if you are in the middle of a river? This example is given by the sages. One tries to stand erect with one foot on the ground and the other in the water at the same time. [standing like that] You're going to rupture all your ligaments; you either have to fall in the water or you have to jump onto the bank– one or the other. We are stepping [out] from material world to the spiritual world. That step, taking even five lifetimes ; it can take one minute, but we are taking the step, whether cold war or hot war , it’s a war with maya. And if you start seeing maya as a friend, it means you've lost the battle. That means maya's the one that's furnished[armed]. Therefore why does the sastra go so much into detail? What is to do and what is not to do? What does it mean what to do and what not to do? Even if one is a guru [if he's off-track], he should be given up. That is what Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is saying, who else is there to help? We surround ourselves with society, friendship and nation but who can save us at the time of death? Actually, Kṛṣṇa never lets the soul down, but if the soul thinks , "I have some demand, Kṛṣṇa, you must do this now… Kṛṣṇa, He will not let His devotee down, but how He protect His devotee… He does that in His own way. The devotee is not concerned about how Kṛṣṇa will protect him. How He will provide for him. The devotee is interested in serving Kṛṣṇa through the guru.

And Kṛṣṇa is interested in protecting his devotee. He has given His promise : My devotee will never perish. The devotee thinks, "How can I distribute this book? How can I make this life member. How can I perform this service? How can I build this Samadhi or how I can deliver these people? And he goes on… [with his particular service]Kṛṣṇa is worried about how He can protect His devotee, you see? It’s wonderful. I was visiting one temple where Lord Caitanya took sannyasa. I was on my way to see the birthplace of Kṛṣṇa das Kaviraj and we were planning to go there and reach by noon and come back, but we were a little late(it's not unusual) and we reached the temple of Lord Caitanya[where He took] sannyasa, established by Gadadhara das and Narahari Thakur, the asram of Kesava Bharati, at 12 o’clock. So I asked the Goswami there for a disciple to take me ( another one-hour drive) to the birthplace of Kṛṣṇa das Kaviraj.But he insisted, "You have to take prasadam," I said, "No, I have to reach this place and see the birthplace of Kṛṣṇa das Kaviraj. We want to do some development work there. He said, "No, you are thinking of doing Kṛṣṇa’s work. That is your concern. But Kṛṣṇa’s concern is that He has to feed you. So on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, I order : you must accept this prasada. What could I do? (devotees laugh) So they gave very nice prasadam. Actually that is a fact ; what he said was correct. That is Kṛṣṇa’s concern.

Of course we take the responsibility [of taking care of this body as Kṛṣṇa's property] This is my body, I have to watch over [take care of]my body on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, that is there. We are not to be negligent. We take it as Kṛṣṇa’s property. But how is the devotee is able to pull on[survive against odds] no materialist can dare to do. They want to make so many arrangements, but the devotee is able to maintain [himself by]Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. In this way, the devotee is fully protected even in his activities, even as he is doing his work, because he is depending on Kṛṣṇa. He is accepting what Kṛṣṇa sends. And Kṛṣṇa also helps [the devotee]in every sphere. If one is actually a devotee, the clue is that he has to be devotee; devotee means to actually want to please Kṛṣṇa through our service. And how pure we are [can be understood] by how much we are able to avoid committing offenses ; how able we are to be fixed in the desire to satisfy the spiritual master, sincerely try for that.

So, although Kṛṣṇa does not have any obligation (He can let us wait), yet He is more eager than we are to have us come to Him. He is more eager than we are to have us come. So, when we take one step toward Kṛṣṇa, He takes 10 steps toward us; He is so anxious. Sanatana Goswami describes that sometimes when the conditioned soul finally reaches Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa embraces him crying, ‘I’ve been waiting for you for so long… I have been waiting for so long, what took you so long to come?" Sometimes Kṛṣṇa even falls unconscious, overjoyed by meeting His devotee, and the devotee– what to speak [of him]– also falls unconscious. Kṛṣṇa is so eager for us to come back to Him, but we are just dragging our (feet), with so many materialistic considerations. If we became a little bit interested in trying to do what Kṛṣṇa wants, trying to understand the mind of the spiritual master for delivering the fallen souls, then Kṛṣṇa would be so easily available, because He is more anxious than we can imagine that we return to Him. But Kṛṣṇa is not one to come [when we say] "Just wait Kṛṣṇa ; I have to finish just one thing, you have come, but I have to enjoy this before I have time for You." [Then Kṛṣṇa says,] " Oh, you enjoy first and then come." And we, taking Kṛṣṇa's [words] "Enjoy first, and then you come, " go on enjoying, and then going [back] to Kṛṣṇa doesn't come... And if you are simply fixed [determined], " I want to reach Kṛṣṇa," then Kṛṣṇa won’t make him wait very long. In fact the Nectar of Devotion says that [to meet ] such an advanced devotee, Kṛṣṇa Himself cannot wait. He becomes eager, He wants to meet the devotee. It is not a question of Him revealing Himself; He goes to meet His devotee, He is anxious to meet His devotee. That devotee is interested in serving Kṛṣṇa.

Here we see that Yamaraja is instructing them in the actual position: You can try and try again and again, but you won’t be happy. The secret of happiness is only Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, even if you want to be materially happy ; He is the one who creates and annihilates at His sweet will. You can make all arrangements to be happy but if it is not in Kṛṣṇa’s mind that you should be happy in that[particular] way, if you should not have the Lord's arrangements, He will destroy them, no matter where you go ; if Kṛṣṇa wants to keep someone in poverty, He can make all arrangements to be rich, but somehow or other you won’t be rich. And if Kṛṣṇa wants you to be rich, He will make all arrangements, [so that] no matter where he is, money comes to him.That’s why Kṛṣṇa says we should go on performing our duty in devotional service, depending upon Him. And then it's Kṛṣṇa's concern to look out for us; to whatever extent we can depend on Him, He takes over our lives.

If someone thinks...I remember one time a devotee was suffering from an asthma attack and started to cry out “Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Why You are doing this to me?” It was the most terrifying and offensive thing to hear someone say that. I stopped him and said “How can you say this? We have committed so many sinful activities in our life, in our countless lives, if we are suffering is it not only our own fault, from our previous lives, and this life? How come you are blaming Kṛṣṇa? This is material life. The materialist commits so many sins. He does all kinds of nasty things, all kinds of offensive things. And if he gets a little success, he thinks, “I am so clever, I am so expert ; I have created this situation for myself, and I am so happy, powerful and well situated, but as soon as he is put in misery, he thinks, “why is Kṛṣṇa doing this to me?” And when a devotee suffers any kind of difficulty, he thinks that, “This is due to all the sinful lives I have lead, and Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He is giving me a only a token of what I deserve. And if he has any success, he thinks, “Oh, look what Kṛṣṇa has done!” you see. What is sleeping time for the self-realized soul is the awaking time for the man in materialistic ignorance. And what is awakening time for the self-realized soul is the sleeping time for the materialist. They are like the two opposite sides of a coin; like day and night. So, the materialist has no shelter. Therefore he is always miserable. And the devotee has no problem, [because] and he always has Kṛṣṇa’s shelter. Therefore, it is said that someone who is a pure devotee, he is the reservoir of all the good qualities of the demigods.

This Kṛṣṇa conscious movement is meant for creating brahmanas (Prabhupada said) because the society has no brahmanas. In fact, Srila Prabhupada said that when we take new people into our movement, they may not be able to follow all our principles, and that it was better that they live outside and come to the temple and associate[with devotees] and learn vairagya, learn the philosophy ; that when they are willing to follow all our Kṛṣṇa conscious principles, then they may come and stay. We don’t want to bring materialistic people into our society, because they will contaminate the whole thing.

This society is meant... It doesn't matter if the whole world doesn't become just like our society. We don’t expect everyone to become a devotee like us, but someone should show what the standard is, what the standard of perfection is. That is the mission of this movement. And if someone cannot maintain the standard, then we should not let him in, until he is strong enough by associating that he can actually maintain[follow]. It is for his own benefit. Anyone who is a disciple in this sampradaya is expected to be on the level of surrender to the spiritual master. And according to his occupational position, according to his service as assigned to him by the spiritual master, he is to carry out those instructions. That is why we don't accept cheap disciples. We don’t want millions of disciples. There are some gurus in Bengal who take 1000 people, or 5000 people, or even 10000 people at a big pandal. They say, "Everybody stand up. Who wants to take initiation? So everybody stands up. Then they say , "Now raise your hand. " [Then they raise their hands] and say, "Om tat sat, or something. [The gurus then say] You're all my disciples now. Ten thousand, at one shot. Guru dakshina in the tent on the side no income-tax exemption, but you can give number two. The principle : simply donate to the guru ; no other principle and make me more disciples. You know, they give something religious, but no restrictions : you can eat meat, you can do this, you can do that. "You become God very soon." This is their promise. You worship me, because I am God. And what is the result? You also become God. So in this way, they are cheating.

So, this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement, Prabhupada says, is not interested in that. We want to find the sincere seekers of the Absolute Truth and we want to give them an opportunity to reach the goal ; but otherwise we can lower our standard, and get so many people. But by lowering our standard, if they don’t reach Kṛṣṇa, what is the use? To maintain some artificial followers, if you pay disciples you can get lots. But what is the use? Disciple means one who gives to the guru.

In Mayapur, I often think that we should pay something token , and we will get so many people, because they want to send home 50 rupees to their mother. But the question of course is[is it a step up?] If they are doing all service and they come and follow all the principles and take the token, then it may be a step up. There is some progress. In that way, there is some good value. But how to explain that that is not the standard? How to keep the standard? Actually the real standard is to be completely surrendered.

Then [it a] is very difficult situation. There are these two things: one thing is to bring people up, but then you see that there are so many religious principles...you can argue that, well if you give charity, get a person to give charity, then is also being up, but the main thing is that we want to get the person up back to Godhead. So there has to be a complete program to take people from the first step to the last step ; otherwise we are cheating or misleading them. If we cannot take one to the final goal, then we shouldn't sit on these big seats, or we shouldn't preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we are bluffing. We have to be able to take the person from the beginning to the end stage. So that principle is what is given. How can we (unclear) those stages of devotional service? And once a person makes some advancement, he shouldn't step back. If a person makes progress to one point, and then again he takes back steps, then it is very unfortunate. Whatever progress we make we have to maintain, even if we don’t –beliefs and wows– whatever progress we make, we have to protect and go on ; slow but sure; we are not interested in immediate [progress]. We are interested in sure, even if it is slow. Slow but sure. We want sure progress.

So, by Lord Caitanya’s mercy, even our slow-but-sure step forward, means very rapid because of His mercy. As we walk[toward Kṛṣṇa], Kṛṣṇa walks toward us so much faster, so our slow step forward is a huge mile forward from Kṛṣṇa’s side. He practically runs while we walk, but we have to keep stepping [forward], if we stop walking toward Kṛṣṇa, if we stop proceeding toward Kṛṣṇa, if we lose our link with the absolute goal and [get] reabsorbed in our material mind and body conceptualization, thinking that this is the all-in-all, then we are finished, because then Kṛṣṇa decides to wait for him.

All right, then. Let him finish that and then I will come. That’s why the devotee is more merciful. He grabs the disciple by the ear and drags him to Krisna [saying], "What are you waiting for ? You go to Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa won't come unless the devotee goes to him, but the spiritual master is so kind that while the devotee stands there spaced out, standing there with his head in the cloud of maya, and the spiritual master pushes him, "You go to Kṛṣṇa, don’t waste time here."

That’s why the devotee is considered to be more merciful than Kṛṣṇa. Jay!

Question by a devotee : (inaudible)

Arjuna asks the same question to Kṛṣṇa. "I can’t think of you at every moment. Then what to do?"

He said, "Abyaasa, you have to practice."

How does the dog learn? It passes stool in the house. You put its nose in it, saying, "What are you doing here? Get out! The dog, finally, after being beaten, its nose put in it again and again, knows, "Oh, now it is time to pass, nature's call; let me go outside, otherwise I will get hit."So why we do you think we each time get kicked? We should know that I am being kicked because I am in maya ; this is because of my material desires. This is why the devotee takes being kicked as Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, an impetus for us to become virakta– disgusted with this material world. And then we practice. We practice training our minds. We catch our minds.

The mind is just like a dog, just like a wild animal, just running here and there. And when someone can see, "where is my mind running?" [Then]catch it, "get back to Kṛṣṇa.’ Just like the mother takes care of the kid. Our intelligence is absorbed in something , but the mind... Where does it go? the next thing the mother sees when she looks is : the child takes a knife and starts playing with it in its mouth, like that. Our mind is just like a child, running here and there, untrained. So how do we train our mind with our intelligence? That intelligence is given by mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa. That intelligence we get... We chant 16 rounds everyday , and we follow the 4 regulative principles to get spiritual intelligence. So when we see our mind going off, when we see our senses uncontrolled, we control, if we don’t practice strictly this sadhana of chanting, of hearing the class, of associating with devotees, then we won’t get the intelligence of how to control our mind. We get bewildered, we get covered up.

That’s why there is a complete process– we have to practice, we have to chant, we have to do all these things. And then when we see our mind is going we have to take that austerity and whip it back. If the mother is a drunkard, she can see that the kid can die or live but doesn't care ; if our intelligence becomes infatuated with the glaring of this material world and loses sight that our goal is to become pure devotees, then it isn't very much concerned about the mind going off. It thinks , “Let it play, who cares.” We become bewildered by the glare of maya. Then Kṛṣṇa sends so many representatives, so many instructions ; [He] smashes us in different ways, and instructs us in different ways to try to bring us around.But from our own side, what do we do? We have to practice devotional service. We have to practice following the instructions of the spiritual master on one side, (watering the plant), and on the other side, ripping out the weeds. Fifty percent of the time watering and fifty percent, weeding. This is the formula that Prabhupada gave. It seems like it takes forever for a child to grow up, but after a while, pretty soon, before you know it, the child is already grown up. Like that it seems like forever for our minds to be controlled, but we just stick to it ; the mother doesn’t say, "Well it's too much trouble, forget it. Just kill the kid." That is no mother, that’s a raksasa. We cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater? We can’t give up, "Oh it’s too difficult to go on trying to control my mind." That means that we are not chanting, we are not following, we are just somehow so bewildered ; then we become so hopeless.