The following is a transcription from a discourse delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Boven-Leeuwen, The Netherlands, on May 11, 1996 (Bhakta Bandhav Anthology Volume 1)

 

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: I explained before that we should not always try to remember Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What is the harm in remembering Him as such? If we think of Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, having innumerable attributes and opulence, then what is the harm?

It has been told in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta:

siddhānta baliyā citte nā kara alasa
ihā ha-ite kṛṣṇe lāge sudṛḍha mānasa

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi-līlā 2.117)

[“A sincere student should not neglect the discussion of such conclusions, considering them controversial, for such discussions strengthen the mind. Thus one’s mind becomes attached to Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”]

We should know the different kinds of tattvas: kṛṣṇa-tattva, bhakti-tattva, jīva-tattva, māyā-tattva, sādhana-tattva, prema-tattva, caitanya-mahāprabhu-tattva, gaura-tattva, nityānanda-tattva, and guru-tattva. We should know all these tattvas; otherwise, we cannot enter the realm of devotion. By knowing all these tattvas, your faith in Kṛṣṇa will be significantly strengthened. Otherwise, your faith will be weakened.

While practising sādhana, acknowledge Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But why has it been told in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to forget Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and to listen to His pastimes? Don’t learn all these tattvas separately. All tattvas will be known by listening to and glorifying the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. But what harm is there if you are inquiring, preaching, and discussing Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, possessing many opulences? Kṛṣṇa especially has six opulences. What are those?

Devotee: I am trying to understand your question. What is the harm of preaching about Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead?

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Not preaching. First, what are the six opulences of Kṛṣṇa?

Devotee: Beauty, wealth, fame, renunciation, strength, and knowledge.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Do you know the śloka (verse)?

Śrīpāda Mādhava Mahārāja:

aiśvaryasya samagrasya
vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ
jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva
ṣaṇṇāṁ bhagam itīṅganā

Viṣṇu Purāṇa (6.5.47)

[“Bhagavān means who possesses these six opulences in full: all riches, all strength, all influence, all wisdom, all beauty, all renunciation.”]

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: What is aiśvarya? It is opulence. What is vīrya?

Devotees: Strength.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: What is yaśa?

Devotees: Fame.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: What is śrī?

Śrīpāda Mādhava Mahārāja: Beauty.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: What is jñāna and vairāgya?

Śrīpāda Mādhava Mahārāja: Knowledge and renunciation.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: What is vijñāna?

Śrīpāda Mādhava Mahārāja: Renunciation.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: There are six opulences. And they are fully embodied in Kṛṣṇa. But what form of Kṛṣṇa? Vrajendra-nandana Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā-kānta Kṛṣṇa. Dvārakādhīśa Kṛṣṇa is also not being referred to here. More complete than Dvārakādhīśa is Mathureśa Kṛṣṇa, and the most complete form of Kṛṣṇa is Vrajendra-nandana Śyāmasundara. He is complete in Dvārakā, more complete in Mathurā, and most complete in Vṛndāvana. So, like I asked before, what harm is there in referring to Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as the embodiment of the six kinds of opulence?

Devotee: I am trying to find the right words.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Oh yes, I will hear from you.

Devotee: We want to develop a relationship with Kṛṣṇa, not knowing His aiśvarya.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Does anyone else want to add anything more?

Devotee: My Guru Mahārāja would say, “If you want to see the pole star, you can only see it when it is dark. The sun is an obstacle; similarly, jñāna is an obstacle.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: It is right. But could you explain more? Is there any harm or benefit if one considers Kṛṣṇa to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead? If you can’t understand, then ask again. You should try to know all these tattvas.

Devotee: In the fourth chapter of Ādi-līlā, Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī explains the purpose of Mahāprabhu’s advent. There, he reveals Kṛṣṇa’s inner thoughts, and Kṛṣṇa says that the world worships Him in the mood of awe and reverence, according to vidhi. So Kṛṣṇa says, “Love weakened by vidhi cannot control Me.” So if one is excessively cultivating knowledge of Kṛṣṇa’s opulence and supremacy, then he will not be able to control Kṛṣṇa through that process.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Puṇḍarīka, stand up and explain.

Puṇḍarīka dāsa: Can Navīna Prabhu explain?

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: I don’t know Navīna, you should explain yourself.

Puṇḍarīka dāsa: We cannot control Kṛṣṇa if we know about Kṛṣṇa’s opulence, because He is infinite and we are infinitesimal. We are always worshipping Him with a mood of awe and reverence. If we want to control Him like the gopīs and the Vrajavāsīs, then one should not have the understanding that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Then what is the use of knowing all the tattvas? How has this been said?

Vṛndā, you should speak.

Vṛndā-devī dāsī: (Indistinct)

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: First, we should know all these principles. We cannot enter the realm of kṛṣṇa-bhakti if we don’t know these principles. We should listen to a bona fide guru. Daśa-mūla-tattva (the ten fundamental truths) is a very powerful medicine for all diseases. This Daśa-mūla-tattva is a very powerful panacea for the person trying to uplift himself from this world to the world of the Absolute. We should take this medicine; consequently, all kinds of diseases will disappear. The diseases will not disappear if we don’t take this medication. All kinds of pramāṇa (evidences) are embodied in this Daśa-mūla-tattva. What is the root of all evidence, or the principal, primary evidence?

They are the Vedas. But the Vedas are tri-guṇātmakam — having sattva-guṇa (the mode of goodness), rajo-guṇa (the mode of passion), and tamo-guṇa (the mode of ignorance). You will have to churn the Vedas, and then nirguṇa (the mood of transcendence) will appear. Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad is one such Āgama. Kṛṣṇa is Hari; this is the root of all truths. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the most prominent prameya for pāramārthika pramāṇa (spiritual evidence). If all the Vedas propound one truth and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam propounds another, we will have to choose the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It is the Amala Purāṇa [amala means without any material contamination].

It is stated somewhere that Śrīdāmā cursed Śrīmatī Rādhikā, and Śrīmatī Rādhikā cursed him in return. However, this has not been mentioned in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, so one will not accept this point. One will not consider it as pāramārthika evidence.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and all pramāṇas tell us that Kṛṣṇa is Hari. Kṛṣṇa is the possessor of all potencies, and He is the ocean of rasa. All jīvas have come from Kṛṣṇa. In acintya-bhedābheda-tattva, there is simultaneous difference and non-difference between Kṛṣṇa and His potency. The jīvas are His potency. Everything is a manifestation of His potency. In some cases, there is a difference between Kṛṣṇa and the jīvas, and in some cases, there is no difference. This simultaneous oneness and difference is called acintya — inconceivable. We cannot realise this truth by the aid of our mundane intelligence. One can know this tattva through the Vedas, Purāṇas, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

The jīvas are of two kinds: conditioned souls and liberated souls. The liberated souls have never come to this world. They have always been liberated and never been conditioned. Some of these jīvas are in Goloka-Vṛndāvana, while others are in Dvārakā. Some of the conditioned souls are in Vaikuṇṭha serving Rāma, Vaikuṇṭhanātha, Nṛsiṁha, Vāmana, and the other expansions of Kṛṣṇa. Some liberated souls are the kāya–vyūha of Baladeva Prabhu; they are not jīva-tattva. The sakhās like Śrīdāmā, Sudāmā, Subala, Lavaṅga, Madhumaṅgala, Arjuna, and Kṛṣṇa’s father (Nanda Mahārāja) are not jīva-tattva. They have come from Baladeva Prabhu, and Baladeva Prabhu has manifested Himself as these associates of Kṛṣṇa. Some of the souls serving Śrīmatī Rādhikā and Kṛṣṇa in Vraja are jīvas, some souls are the kāya–vyūha of Baladeva Prabhu, and some souls are Śrīmatī Rādhikā Herself. The gopīs are not jīva-tattva; they are the kāya-vyūha (manifestations) of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, while some associates like Śrīdāmā and Subala are the kāya-vyūha of Baladeva Prabhu.

The jīvas belonging to jīva-tattva serve Kṛṣṇa in many forms under the guidance of these eternal associates of Kṛṣṇa. These jīvas are not sādhana-siddhas; they have not achieved perfection through devotional practices. Though they are in the category of jīva-tattva, they don’t know what the material world is, what māyā is, and what sense gratification is. They have always been serving Kṛṣṇa. They have never been to this world, nor will they ever come. Even if they come to this world, they come under the guidance of Kṛṣṇa. They can come following Kṛṣṇa’s order, and they will play a part in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. They will never come to this world as conditioned souls.

Baladeva Prabhu is Mūla-saṅkarṣaṇa, and His expansion is Mahā-saṅkarṣaṇa, who is the predominating deity of Vaikuṇṭha. Many jīvas have their origin in Him. These jīvas have never been to this world and are all liberated. There may be some sādhana-siddha jīvas, but they will never return to this world from the eternal realm of Vaikuṇṭhaloka. They will never become covered by māyā and become conditioned souls. They will come to this world with Yogamāyā and serve Kṛṣṇa.

Some conditioned souls have manifested from Kāraṇābdhiśāyī Viṣṇu. These souls are of two kinds: conditioned souls and liberated souls. The liberated soul goes to the eternal realm, while the conditioned soul enters the mortal realm. Out of these innumerable conditioned souls, a most fortunate soul will accept a bona fide guru and vaiṣṇava-saṅga (association). By the strength of this association, a conditioned soul will gradually develop his bhakti and may become a liberated soul. They will never come to the material world again. They will never come. If they come, there is a chance that the eternally liberated souls who reside there will also become covered by māyā and enter the material world.

na tad bhāsayate sūryo
na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ
yad gatvā na nivartante
tad dhāma paramaṁ mama

Bhagavad-gītā (15.6)

[Those who reach this Supreme abode of Mine never return to this material world.]

The relationship between Kṛṣṇa and the jīvas is based on acintya-bhedābheda-tattva (inconceivably one and different simultaneously). Those souls who have fallen to this material world should accept bhakti. Without this, they cannot be liberated, and they cannot serve Kṛṣṇa in Goloka-Vṛndāvana. Our abhidheya (practice) is bhakti. By gradual engagement in bhakti, bhāva-bhakti will be attained. Soon after, prayojana, the fruit of bhakti, will manifest. The fruit of sādhana-bhakti is bhāva-bhakti. And the fruit of bhāva-bhakti is prema-bhakti. So prema is our prayojana (ultimate goal). What should be our goal when we practise bhakti?

Devotee: Bhāva.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Prema. But you will attain prema by crossing the stage of bhāva-bhakti. Prema should be our ultimate goal.

Not only prema — vraja-prema. Not only vraja-prema — gopī-prema. Not only gopī-prema — kamātmikā-tat-tad-bhāva-icchāmayī (the mood of the mañjarīs). If a devotee is not engaged in cultivating these moods, then he is not really a devotee. Therefore, we should try to know all these gradations of devotion. But when we reach bhāva-bhakti, especially by following rāgānugā-bhakti, we should forget all these things. We practise, “Ṣa, ṛ, gā, ma, pa, dha, ni, ṣa.” And then we sing the same meter with a weakened tone. We practise singing this way. Without singing, we cannot practise. We sing a song, and as we mature in our practices, we learn everything. We can sing many meters and songs without needing to look at the songbook. When we sing, we forget all our finger movements and focus on singing.

(Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja leads the devotees in singing the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra)

When we sing, we will forget the harmonium and the positioning of our fingers. Not knowing the movements of our fingers, we will sing melodiously. Likewise, Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but when we reach the stage of bhāva-bhakti, then…

Devotee: Forget.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Don’t forget, the bhāva will make you forget. Do you understand what I am saying?

Devotee: You speak perfectly, Mahārāja.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: There is no contradiction here. We should know all the tattvas and forget them at the stage of bhāva-bhakti. During the budding stages of devotion, consider Kṛṣṇa to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But during the blossoming stage of devotion, one should forget Kṛṣṇa to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is a first-class and a postgraduate class.

These are not separate lines. Svāmījī told you, “You should know who Kṛṣṇa is. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” But I am telling you to forget this.

(Laughter)

Some devotees think, “We are the monarchs of all. Mahārāja should not speak like this. This is not the line of Svāmījī.” To them, I reply, “But this is the actual line of what Svāmījī spoke. He wanted to bring everyone to the shelter of this line. There is not the slightest difference between his words and mine.”

I want to speak on Śrī Rāya Rāmānanda’s samvāda. You should know all tattvas (philosophical conclusions). I will question everyone on the ten principles of bhakti (Daśa-mūla-tattva). You should note these words down. Daśa-mūla-tattva has been written and explained in Jaiva-dharma. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, especially, has manifested these priceless devotional conclusions for the upliftment of the conditioned souls of this world. We should honour and serve this devotional masterpiece (Jaiva-dharma). I will ask everyone about the ten principles Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has stated and enunciated in Jaiva-dharma. These principles are in an unmanifested form in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, the books of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, and the teachings of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura manifested them for our benefit. These ten principles have also been stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and the Vedas. They have been stated in all scriptures. We should know all these principles. I will question everyone on these ten principles tomorrow.

If the devotee remembers and realises these ten principles, then jñāne prayāsam udapāsya will manifest at the stage of bhāva. This will not manifest in the stage of sādhana-bhakti. In sādhana-bhakti, we must know all these principles.

Viśrambheṇa guroḥ sevā (to engage in intimate service to the guru) applies to whom? It applies to those who are advanced and those who have been initiated. Perhaps, I have not taken dīkṣā (initiation). Externally, I have been initiated, but I don’t know if I am established in dīkṣā. I don’t know if all the assembly members have taken dīkṣā. I think most of you have taken dīkṣā. Who has taken dīkṣā?

(Devotees raise their hands)

When we will be established in dīkṣā… What is dīkṣā? Dī stands for divya-jñāna, sambhanda-jñāna, kṛṣṇa-tattva-jñāna, bhakti-tattva-jñāna, and māyā-tattva-jñāna. The second part of the word dīkṣā is kṣā, and it means the removal of all unwanted elements that obstruct our sādhana-bhajana, like offences and anarthas. The heart is washed clean of all undesirable tendencies. Then the real fruit of dīkṣā appears. You have written your name down as a student in the preliminary class of dīkṣā when you were initiated. Real, internal dīkṣā hasn’t yet taken place. Dīkṣā has taken place in the truest sense of the term when you have realised all tattvas and, as a result, all sinful subtleties like offences have been eliminated. During that realised stage, you will know the answers to questions like, “Who is Kṛṣṇa? What is bhakti? Who is Śrīmatī Rādhikā? What is mahābhāva?” You will know the answers to these questions, but you are not a realised soul. If you are realised, you will be situated in the stage of prema-bhakti, and will no longer be bound to a material body; you will have realised your original spiritual body. In the stage of sādhana, it is necessary to have at least essential knowledge of these tattvas.

He says:

jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva
jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām
sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir
ye prāyaśo ’jita jito ’py asi tais tri-lokyām

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.3)

[Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with their body, words and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are vibrated by You personally and by Your pure devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship, although You are otherwise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.]

Suppose we know Kṛṣṇa to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, the possessor of innumerable opulences, and the source of all spiritual and material creation. In that case, if you are rooted in this conception, you cannot have prema. You can only get śānta-prema (to love Kṛṣṇa from a neutral position) or dāsya-prema (to love Kṛṣṇa as His servant). You will not be qualified to enter Vraja and serve Kṛṣṇa. Entering the stage of bhāvāvasthā (the stage of bhāva), you will have to forget that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead gradually. If you still have a mood of Kṛṣṇa’s Godhood, you will be unable to keep your heart in Kṛṣṇa’s. There will be a wall of maryādā (awe and respect) separating Kṛṣṇa from you. In the stage of sādhana, you must obey the etiquette of maryādā. But as you reach the stage of full-fledged love and devotion, your sevā will be viśrambha (intimate).

Otherwise, premature viśrambha may lead to an instance where a guru tells his disciple, “You should bring me some water.”

The erring disciple will say, “Oh, you should bring water for me instead, because we are friends.”

Don’t do this. In sādhana, maryādā plays a pivotal role. When you have the realisation of all these gradations of pure devotion, maryādā will go, and you will serve Kṛṣṇa like a bosom friend.

What is viśrambha-sevā (service infused with intimacy)? When a guru returned to the temple from preaching and other activities, the ideal disciple was quick to attend to the needs of his Gurudeva. The disciple saw that Gurujī’s lips were dry, and he needed water. The disciple immediately fetched water for his Gurudeva. An instance should not arise where the guru will order his disciple, “You should bring water.” You should know the heart and requirements of Gurudeva. Without waiting for his order, you should manage everything.

An instance of misjudging a guru’s needs and requirements is when the disciple tells his guru during winter, “Oh Gurudeva, I want to wash your feet. So bring your feet forward.”

(Laughter)

Being the season of winter, the chilly weather is making the guru tremble. He is also very thirsty and repeatedly tells his disciple, “Just bring me water, and after that, you can perform the pūjā.”

But his disciple is overbearingly insistent and repeatedly tells him, “Gurudeva, please bring your feet forward.”

“I am thirsty!”

“Please bring your feet forward. I will wash them, because it is written in the śāstra.”

(Laughter)

This way, the disciple quarrelled with his Gurudeva. You should not behave like this. You should know what your Gurudeva wants, and his needs and requirements must be fulfilled. A guru doesn’t need someone to fan him during the winter.

A situation should also not arise where you will fan Kṛṣṇa with a peacock-feathered fan for one hour.

Being disturbed, Kṛṣṇa will say, “Are! stop it! Stop it!”

The overbearing devotee will reply, “How can I stop? I will have to fan You for one more hour.”

(Laughter)

Then Kṛṣṇa will say, “Don’t come.”

(Laughter)

“I don’t want to be fanned.”

Therefore, you should be aware of the appropriate measures to take for each service. We should be aware of Gurudeva’s needs and requirements and attend to them before receiving an order from him. Then you will be an ideal disciple. A disciple who doesn’t know what his guru wants is a kaniṣṭha śiṣya. A disciple who performs services when ordered by his gurudeva is more advanced. The disciple who performs services without being ordered and brings the same things his guru wants is an uttama (topmost) disciple.

On being told to perform a service, a disciple who tells his Gurudeva, “Wait a little, I am coming,” is not a sevaka (servant); rather, he is a vaka (crane) without the letter “se”. This disciple is like a crane with a foot in water and standing in a meditative pose. But what is it meditating on? It is meditating on catching fish while standing on one leg.

So, viśrambheṇa guroḥ sevā means performing the appropriate services without being ordered to (out of natural love). The disciple will take all the orders of his guru upon himself. And then, jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva.

We should try to forget Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By thinking of yourself as infinitesimal and Kṛṣṇa as infinite, a wall of maryādā (awe and reverence) will stand between Kṛṣṇa and you, and you will not be able to serve Kṛṣṇa according to His needs and wants. So:

jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva
jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām
sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir
ye prāyaśo ’jita jito ’py asi tais tri-lokyām

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.3)

[Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with their body, words and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are vibrated by You personally and by Your pure devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship, although You are otherwise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.]

After this, a śloka comes. On hearing Rāya Rāmānanda speak, Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Yes, yes. This is something, but go on. It is neither external nor internal. I accept what you say, but you should go further.”

Śrī Rāya Rāmānanda Prabhu then recited a śloka.* The śloka states how a person will only be hungry if he has an appetite and thirst. At that time, any preparation will be tasty. The taste of the preparation is directly proportional to the appetite. A lack of appetite can make even a delicious preparation taste bland and unappetizing. On having a lack of appetite, you will say, “Oh, what preparation have you made? What kinds of sabjīs are there? What sort of dāl is there? These preparations are not very good.” A lack of appetite can lead to passing negative comments on the preparation. But if you have a blazing appetite, you will not ask, “What has been prepared?” You will take capātīs without ghee and butter with sheer delight.

Without āsakti (attachment) and mamatā (a sense of possessiveness or myness), prema to Kṛṣṇa will not be awakened. Prema will follow āsakti. The thicker the āsakti is, the thicker the prema will be. And Kṛṣṇa will be controlled.

I will explain these condensed stages of devotion during the evening classes. You should know all these facets of devotion; they are very helpful in enhancing your service to Kṛṣṇa. There are many deep explanations behind them. If you have no prema to Kṛṣṇa, despite offering lakhs of tasteful preparations, and sixteen types of worship to Him, Kṛṣṇa will not be happy. And accordingly, we will not be happy, because it has been stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā
yayātmā suprasīdati

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.6)

[The supreme occupation (dharma) for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.]

What is the meaning of yayātmā suprasīdati? Will we be content if the soul is satisfied? No. Here ātmā means Kṛṣṇa. If Kṛṣṇa is happy, pleased, and satisfied, our ātmā (soul) will also be happy, pleased, and satisfied. If Kṛṣṇa is not pleased, we cannot be pleased. Kṛṣṇa is always thinking of ways to make us happy. Offering many kinds of worship to Kṛṣṇa without āsakti, mamatā, and prema…Will you offer like Duryodhana? If you do so, Kṛṣṇa will say, “I have no appetite.”

I will explain more in the days to come.

Devotee: You were saying that there is no way for the jīva to fall down once he has been liberated. My Guru Mahārāja said, “When it is said that one falls down, it refers to… Can you elaborate on this?

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: I will tell the answer during the class. You should try to know all these facts.

Gaura-premānande! Haribol!

(Class ends with mahā-mantra being sung)

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: All glories to Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga.

All glories to the assembled devotees.

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Gurudeva.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: We will all meet again.

* Excerpt from Śrī Rāya Rāmānanda Saṁvāda (The Conversation between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu & Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya)

nānopacāra-kṛta-pūjanam ārta-bandhoḥ
premṇaiva bhakta-hṛdayaṁ sukha-vidrutaṁ syāt
yāvat kṣud asti jaṭhare jaraṭhā pipāsā
tāvat sukhāya bhavato nanu bhakṣya-peye

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 8.70)

[“(Rāmānanda Rāya continued:) ‘As long as there is hunger and thirst within the stomach, varieties of food and drink make one feel very happy. Similarly, when the Lord is worshipped with pure love, the various activities performed in the course of that worship awaken transcendental bliss in the heart of the devotee.’ ”]

The essential meaning is that if extreme hunger and thirst are not present, even if one is offered very tasty, fragrant, and appetising dishes, one will still not desire to eat. Likewise, if there is no prema, then even if one worships Śrī Kṛṣṇa with many, many articles, still He is not pleased. On the other hand, if one has a raging hunger and thirst, one will appreciate and be greatly satisfied by taking ordinary rice and water. Similarly, if prema is present in a devotee’s heart, Śrī Kṛṣṇa receives great happiness by accepting even ordinary items the devotee gives Him. Some people may doubt that the example and the idea being clarified correspond because, in the example, it states that only if a person is hungry and thirsty can taking simple rice and water bring them happiness. Yet, the clarified idea says that Bhagavān feels hungry when given anything with prema. Thus, the doubt may come to mind that if the devotee is hungry to serve, how does this make Bhagavān hungry? Yet such a doubt is unfounded.**

** Here in this verse, Rāya Rāmānanda is explaining that when the devotee has prema and yearns for Kṛṣṇa to accept his offering, then the love in the devotee causes a hunger and thirst in Kṛṣṇa. The devotee’s affection creates in Kṛṣṇa a hunger and thirst to accept the offering. The offering itself may consist of ordinary items, but still Kṛṣṇa comes, and He tastes what the devotee has offered with great relish. Why? The prema in the devotee’s heart has created a great hunger in Him.

Source(s): Purebhakti.com, Serve Love – Bhakta Bandhav (Bhakta Bandhav Anthology transcribed and edited by the Bhakta Bandhav Team)

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Unless indicated differently, all verse translations and quotes are from the books by Śrīla Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)