In class this morning, Prabhupada emphasized that no one can become
Krsna conscious except by their own choice. "It is all individual; I
have to surrender to Krsna individually. Just like when you go to the
sky on airplane, it is all individual. If one airplane is in danger,
other airplane cannot save him. That is not possible. Similarly, it is
all individual. It is all paratah svato va. One has to take it
seriously, personally, that 'Krsna wants, so I'll surrender. Krsna
said, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja, so I'll do it.'
Not that 'When my father will do, then I shall do,' or 'My husband
will do, then I shall do,' or 'My wife will do.' No, it is all
individual. And there is no restraint, ahaituky apratihata. If you
want to surrender to Krsna, nobody can check you. Collectively, if it
is done, it is good; but it has to be done individually."
He said the problem is that we want everything except Krsna. Like a
small child who doesn't know what he actually needs, we don't know
that our actual want is Krsna.
Prabhupada concluded that material life, however opulent it may be,
has no value. He contrasted this with spiritual life. "In the material
conditioned life your aim is how to satisfy your senses. And Krsna
consciousness means you have to work in the same spirit, same vigor,
but you have to satisfy Krsna. That is spiritual life. Not that to
become lazy fellow. Kama means when one desires to satisfy his own
senses. Prema means when you engage yourself for satisfying Krsna's
senses. Why gopis are exalted? Because their only endeavor was to
satisfy Krsna's senses. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended,
ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhu-vargena ya kalpita [There is no better
mode of worship than that which was conceived by the vraja-vadhus, the
damsels of Vrndavana]. They had no other business. Simply try to
satisfy Krsna's senses. That is bhakti. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam.
"So in order to teach this lesson to us, the conditioned souls,
jiva-loka, Krsna, vidhatse svena viryena, by His own potency ... Own
potency means, if you surrender to Krsna, He has got such potency He
can deliver you from this conditioned life, jiva-loka. He can make you
purified. That is called mukti. When you are free from this
conditioned stage, this bodily conception of life, then you become
free -- simply by understanding Krsna. After giving up this body, he
does not get any more this material body. Then what happens to him?
Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti. Krsna comes to call you back.
So he comes back. If you take Krsna's instruction, you go back to
Krsna. And again you become happy. Otherwise, maya-mohita-cetasah.
You'll have to suffer life after life."
- From "A Transcendental Diary Vol 4" by HG Hari Sauri Prabhu
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