A Krishna conscious person does not sit down idly. He knows that Krishna consciousness is such an important philosophy that it should be distributed. Therefore the members of this Krishna consciousness society are not just sitting in the temple but are going out on sankirtanaparties, preaching and distributing this supreme philosophy. That isthe mission of Shri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His disciples. Otheryogis may be satisfied with their own elevation and sit in secludedplaces practicing yoga. For them, yoga is nothing more than theirpersonal concern. A devotee, however, is not satisfied just in elevatinghis personal self.
A devotee displays great compassion towardconditioned souls. A devotee is an ocean of mercy, and he naturallywants to distribute this mercy. Lord Jesus Christ, for instance, was Godconscious, Krishna conscious, but he was not satisfied in keeping thisknowledge within himself. Had he continued to live alone in Godconsciousness, he would not have met crucifixion. But no. Being adevotee and naturally compassionate, he also wanted to take care ofothers by making them God conscious. Although he was forbidden to preachGod consciousness, he continued to do so at the risk of his own life.This is the nature of a devotee.
It is therefore stated in Bhagavad-gita (18:68–69) that the devotee who preaches is most dear to the Lord. "For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back toMe." "There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, norwill there ever be one more dear." Therefore the devotees go out topreach, and going forth, they sometimes meet opposing elements.Sometimes they are defeated, sometimes disappointed, sometimes able toconvince, sometimes unable. It is not that every devotee is wellequipped to preach.
However one is situated, one should have thedetermination to go out and preach Krishna consciousness. That endeavorshould at least be there, and one who so attempts to preach renders thebest service to the Lord. Despite opposition, one should attempt toelevate people to the highest standard of self-realization. One who hasactually seen the truth, who is in the trance of self-realization,cannot just sit idly. He must come out. Ramanujacarya, for instance,declared the Hare Krishna mantra publicly. He did not distribute itsecretly for some fee. We are saying that this Hare Krishna maha-mantracan save everyone, and we are therefore distributing it publicly, freeof charge.
(Path of Perfection, pp. 69–72)
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