Prabhupada: If you want to understand Him, then you increase your attachment for Him. Everything will be all right. Just like the same story... not story, it is a fact. Caitanya Mahaprabhu...He was traveling in South India. He saw one brahmana reading Bhagavad-gita. And persons who knew him, that "That man was illiterate," it was not possible for him to read Bhagavad-gita... But still, he was trying to read it, and crying also. So while others were criticizing, Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to him, "Brahmana, what you are reading?" So he could understand that "This person, He's not come here to criticize me. He's serious." So he talked seriously, "Sir, I am reading Bhagavad-gita. Unfortunately, I am illiterate." Now see. He is illiterate and he is reading Bhagavad-gita. Caitanya Mahaprabhu inquired that "How is that, you're reading Bhagavad-gita and you say you are illiterate?" He said, "Yes, actually I am illiterate, but my Guru Maharaja asked me that 'You should read every day eighteen chapters.' So what can I do? (laughter) I have to carry out the order of my spiritual master. So I have simply taken this book. I am seeing it." Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "Oh, you are not seeing it, simply. You are crying also." "Yes, Sir, I am crying also." "Then if you are not reading, how you are crying?" "Sir, I am not reading, but I'm feeling." "What is that?" "As soon as I take this Bhagavad-gita in my hand, immediately I feel Krsna and Arjuna sitting on the same chariot, and Arjuna is ordering Krsna that 'You drive my chariot between the two soldiers,' and Krsna is driving. So I am simply feeling how Krsna is nice, that He can work as a servant of His devotee. When I feel like that, I cry, how Krsna is so kind." Caitanya Mahaprabhu immediately embraced him, that "You are really studying Bhagavad-gita." So unless we develop our love for Krsna, there is no meaning of reading. And if we can develop our love for Krsna just like this brahmana, even without reading any book, that is wanted. That is wanted. Mayy asakta-manah. Therefore Krsna also confirms, mayy asakta-manah, "Simply by increasing attachment for Me." Mayy asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan mad-asrayah. Mad-asrayah. Mad-asrayah means "under the direction of Me or My representative." Mat.
So one who performs this yoga system, how to increase love for Krsna, that's all, then you understand everything. The Vedas, they confirm it. Yasmin vijnate sarvam evam vijnatam bhavanti. If you simply understand Krsna, then everything will be understood. Because Krsna is everything, God is everything. To understand Krsna, simply this attachment... Mayy asakta-manah. Asakti means attachment. So our, this Krsna consciousness movement is... We are teaching people, our students especially, how to increase attachment for Krsna. Why this temple? They are feeling that "We are sitting in Krsna's presence. Krsna is so nicely dressed. I am dressing." Otherwise, from atheistic point of view, you see that "Why these people are bothering like this? They have taken a brass idol and wasting time after it?" They can say like that. Because they have no love for Krsna. But one who has love for Krsna, he sees, "Krsna is so kind. He's accepting my dressing. I am crowning. I am garlanding." That is a feeling.
So the whole process is to increase our feeling of love for Krsna. That is required. Not anything else. Just (like the) gopis. They were not Vedantists. They were not scholars. They were village girls, and also low class. Brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, the third class. The fourth class is the sudra. They were neither brahmana nor ksatriya. Vaisya. Krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam vaisya-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.44]. Vaisyas, they have to take three kinds of profession: agriculture, trade, and cow protection. As the ksatriyas were meant for giving protection to the human being, the vaisyas are understood to give protection to the cows. Go-raksya. Go means cow; raksya means protection. That is their business. So these Vrndavana people, they were... Nanda Maharaja, he had 900,000's of cows, and he was a big man amongst the agriculturists. So they were ordinary men, agriculturists, taking care of the cows. They were not Vedantists, not philosopher, not scientist. Ordinary. But what is their credit? The credit is nobody could love Krsna excelling them. That was their credit. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended, ramya kacid upasana vrajavadhu-vargena ya kalpita: "There is no comparison of the method of worship which was adopted by the damsels of Vraja." Unalloyed love for Krsna. No bargaining: "By loving Krsna, I shall become a big man, I shall become a great philosopher, or great scientist," or "I shall improve my material condition." These are anyabhilasita. And bhakti begins when one is devoid of all these material considerations. Anyabhilasita-sunyam [Brs. 1.1.11]. Sunyam means when one makes zero all these material desires. Jnana-karmady-anavrtam: [Cc. Madhya 19.167] even uncovered by the resultant action of philosophical speculation and fruitive activities. Everyone is working to get some result. That is called fruitive activities. So a pure devotee has no such desires. He has no other desires. Anukulyena krsnanu-silanam. Their only business is how to please Krsna. That can be done by everyone, if he wants. Take, for example, if you want to please me, it does not require high education or great amount of riches or knowledge or beauty. Nothing. It is your business how to love me, how to please me. That you will know.
So if we want to love Krsna, Krsna will let us know. Krsna is within you. Simply we have to decide that we shall love Krsna only. That is wanted. Then everything is there. Aradhito yadi haris tapasa tatah kim, naradhito yadi haris tapasa tatah kim [Narada-pancaratra]. The kim word is used: "What is the use of?" That is kim. So the sastra says that if you have learned how to love Krsna, then what is the use of these books? There is no use. You can avoid anything, all this reading. But if you have actually developed your love for Krsna... And after reading all these books, philosophy, science, if you cannot love Krsna, then what is the use of it? Both ways. Useless. If you do not love, do not develop your love for God or Krsna, then what is the use of your philosophizing and scientific knowledge? This is all useless. And if you actually have learned how to love Krsna, or God, then there is (no) need of philosophy or science or books. So therefore the main point is how to develop. Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends this. Prema pumartho mahan. Our greatest success of life is how to love God, Krsna. That is greatest success. Now you can do it. But there is prescribed method, given by great acaryas. Just like in this temple we are doing. We are timely giving. The atheist will say, "Oh, these are so foolish that they are taking so much labor for preparing food and offering and wasting time. Best thing would have been to go to some club and enjoy wine and playing cards." They'll waste time in that way, but when... We are not wasting, but they say we are wasting time. They will criticize. You see? They are prepared to waste time in a brothel, but if people are sitting nicely in a temple and talking of Krsna, serving Krsna, they will laugh. That is our position. So we have to become callous to all these criticisms. We have to go with our business, Krsna consciousness. That's all.
Thank you. (end)
Lecture Excerpt -- Los Angeles, July 5, 1971
Replies