mäm upetya punar janma
duùkhälayam açäçvatam
näpnuvanti mahätmänaù
saàsiddhià paramäà
gatäù
[Bg. 8.15]
Saàsiddhim, that is the highest
perfection, paramam. Therefore we should try, we should endeavor, for that
purpose, how to go back to home, back to Godhead.
So simply you have to train your
mind. Man-manä bhava..., this, the prescription. Mäm evaiñyasi
asaàçaya. Kåñëa says that “You, this practice,”
mäm evaiñyasi, “you will come to Me.” Asaàçaya.
Kåñëa says, “There is no doubt about it.” So why don’t
you do that? Train your mind, always Kåñëa conscious,
and the method is simple. You do not require much education or university
degree—nothing of the sort. Simply man-manä bhava mad-bhaktaù:
you just become devotee of Kåñëa and always think of
Him. Where is the difficulty? You can walk on the street and remember Kåñëa.
Is there any tax? No, the government will not ask you for any income tax,
sales tax, that “You are chanting Hare Kåñëa.” They may
do so. The time is coming. (laughter) They may say, “The Hare Kåñëa
people must be taxed three times because they are chanting and doing nothing.”
The Communist government will do that. So never mind. The tax will be sent
by Kåñëa. (laughter) You haven’t got to bother. Still,
yoga-kñemaà vahämy aham [Bg. 9.22], Kåñëa
says. You believe in Kåñëa. Then every problem is solved.
We have no problem if we simply follow Kåñëa’s instruction.
Kåñëa says, teñäà satata-yuktänäà
yoga-kñemaà vahämy aham [Bg. 10.10]. Even they tax for
chanting Hare Kåñëa, then Kåñëa will
bring the money. We are getting that practically. So you know the history,
how this land was purchased. There was no money, but Kåñëa
sent money and everything was done nicely. So there is no anxiety, provided
we are purely Kåñëa conscious, without any other desire.
anyäbhiläñitä-çünyaà
jïäna-karmädy-anävåtam
änukülyena kåñëänu-
çélanaà bhaktir
uttamä
[Brs. 1.1.11]
No other desire. Simply... Desire will not come. Kåñëa is so strong and nice. As soon as you allow Him to sit down within your heart... He is there already. Simply you have to see. Then the strength is already there. There is no need of acquiring external strength for acquiring Kåñëa. The simple thing is that you follow the instruction of Kåñëa, man-manä bhava mad-bhakto mad-yäjé mäà namaskuru [Bg. 18.65].
So this is very natural. This temple worship is meant for that purpose. Actually, when we see the Deity, immediately our mind become Kåñëa conscious. At least, we think of Kåñëa: “Here is Kåñëa.” So that is man-manäù. Chanting also, chanting, that is kåñëa-manäù, man-manäù. In this way you become bhakta. Regularly chanting, you become bhakta. Without becoming bhakta, nobody can chant. So man-manä bhava mad-bhakto mad-yäjé. And worship Deity. He has come very kindly to accept your service. You just dress Him, just bathe Him, just decorate Him with ornaments, with garland, with nice thing. So He is ready. Just like a child is ready to accept the service of the mother. The mother dresses the child nicely, and the child accepts. So Kåñëa is so kind that... You cannot capture Kåñëa in His viräò-mürti. You can capture Kåñëa in your capacity. So Kåñëa has agreed. So take this chance. Man-manä bhava mad-bhakto mad-yäjé. Worship Him. Why you are denying? It is not difficult, not expensive at all. And in this way, if you follow the process, then your bhäva, your nature, will be changed. You will become a complete devotee.
So at the time of death, if you can maintain this bhäva, Kåñëa conscious bhäva... The bhäva is the perfection. Bhäva is attained after much practice of devotional service. Ädau çraddhä tataù sädhu-saìgo ’tha bhajana-kriyä tato ’nartha-nivåttiù syät tato niñöhä rucis tataù, athäsaktis tato bhävaù [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15]. Äsakti, when there is äsakti, attraction, attraction... Now, recently I have received one letter. One boy, he was engaged in worshiping the Deity in our Hyderabad center, and he was transferred to Madras. So he became madlike. He has come back. He could not stay there without serving. He has written me letter. So that is bhäva. He cannot stay without worshiping the Deity. That stage comes. You have to simply adopt it. Tato bhävaù. Tato ’nartha-nivåttiù syät. Anartha. Anartha means we are accustomed to this material condition of life, so many anarthas. Just like there are so many people, they are going to the cinema in the evening. But those who have attained bhäva, his anartha nivåtti is already done. He is not attracted any more by the cinema. He is attracted, bhäva, in the worship of the Deity. That is called bhäva. That bhäva means prema. Only thinking of Kåñëa, serving Kåñëa, simply busy in Kåñëa’s service—that is the perfection of life. And if we can maintain that bhäva, that situation, mentality, then yaà yaà väpi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram, and at the time of death, if that bhäva is maintained, that is saàsiddhià paramäà gatäù. That is the highest perfection of life. This is Kåñëa consciousness practice, Kåñëa consciousness. We are trying to... We are not trying to give others. We are trying ourself also, how to get that bhäva. That is the perfection of life.
So human life is meant for that purpose, not to practice how to imitate barking like the dog, no. That is not human life. Human life is meant for acquiring this bhäva. Budhä bhäva-samanvitäù. In another place in the Bhagavad-gétä it is said, budhäù...
ahaà sarvasya prabhavo
mattaù sarvaà pravartate
iti matvä bhajante mäà
budhä bhäva-samanvitäù
[Bg. 10.8]
Bhäva-samanvitäù.
Budhäù. Those who are actually learned, actually advanced,
such persons—budhä bhäva-samanvitäù, bhajante mäm.
That is perfection of life. So take this opportunity, human life. Don’t
miss. You may be very proud of your intelligence, but this intelligence
is not very good intelligence if you are devoid of Kåñëa
consciousness. Then you are a müòha. If, by your intelligence,
you learn how to surrender to Kåñëa and worship Him with
bhäva, that is real intelligence. Bahünäà janmanäm
ante jïänavän mäà prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. And
if you try to become intelligent, some tricks, material trick, to get some
money or cheat others, that is not very good intelligence. These cats and
dogs that... They have also such intelligence. How to steal food from the
room, the cat knows very well. So that is not intelligence. That intelligence
can be found, even birds, beasts, everywhere. Real intelligence is how
to regain your Kåñëa consciousness and be promoted to
the stage of bhäva, and at the time of death maintain that bhäva,
and then your life is successful. Tyaktvä dehaà punar janma
naiti [Bg. 4.9].
Thank you very much. (end)
(ACBSP. 11th January 1975. Srimad Bhagavatam 3:26:34., lecture. Bombay, India.)