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Krsna… such a beautiful transcendental word! It has so many meanings hidden in it, so many layers, and so many forms.

Once we know about Krsna, it is difficult to not think of His glories. He astonishes us with His power. He surprises us with His leelas. He loves us with His heart. And he takes care of us with His mercy. Oh, this language has such a dearth of words… words that can accurately describe Him and the love that we share with Him. (I wonder if there is a transcendental language that can describe His divine power and affection as it is.)

The only thing that keeps us away from Krsna is our false ego. In this world, where Maya rules our minds, it is difficult to not think that we control our lives. Bhagavad Gita says, we must be nimitta matram (the instruments of Krsna’s plans). Everything that we do is being driven by Him.

I thought I understood this truth until I realized that I get conscious when being amongst people, especially when I think that some one is looking at me. It is the nature of a materialistic person to think about impressing others and mystifying them with one’s so-called “beauty”. It is a fact that even if a person is looking at us, it is not because he is astonished by our beauty or is curious to know about our life; it is because either he is in his own thoughts and we are the object of his blank stare, or that he in envious of us and is wondering of ways to bring us down. This is certainly not the kind of attention we seek from others. But even after knowing this, we live in our illusion thinking that a person is looking at us because we are so wonderful and awesome to look at. This is false ego!

The time I realized that I am still a victim of false ego was when I once saw a video taped interview of Srila Prabhupad. While an English news reporter, with her upscale manners, perfect English and perfect etiquettes, was asking questions about Supreme Personality of Godhead and about ISKCON, Srila Prabhupad, in his simple way, tried to remove some thing from his nose, twice! I was shocked. If I would have been in his place, I would have tried so hard to impress that news reporter and make a supreme impression in her mind, especially when I am being video taped with a close-up on my face. But in this case, Srila Prabhupad did not hesitate to just be himself, detached from this material world. I, by no way, mean to offend Srila Prabhupad or mean any disrespect, nor do I intend to portray the fact that I observed mannerisms more than I was listening to the entrenching words of Prabhuji. But I did notice it. At that time I realized how wrong I have been; how attached I have been to these material concepts and this material body.

The incident brought forth one more important point to me. Knowledge by itself does not help achieve the spiritual goal. It is practice of implementing the knowledge by which one will progress in spiritual life. Even after knowing that this is a temporary body and that we all are bound to die one day, I could not detach myself from material senses.

I learned my biggest lesson from Srila Prabhupad even without him saying it explicitly. I learned that only when I think of Krsna all the time, I will have no mental capacity to think of anything else but how to serve Him and surrender myself to His lotus feet.

Srila Prabhupad certainly has the power to say things without words. Srila Prabhupad ki Jai!