Prabhupāda:
Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14).
(This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome.)
Duratyayā means very, very difficult. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti. But if anyone surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa, catches His lotus feet very strongly, "Kṛṣṇa, save me," Kṛṣṇa promises, "Yes, I'll save you." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ (BG 18.66): "Don't worry. I shall save you." Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (BG 9.31): "My dear Arjuna, you can declare to the world, My devotee, pure devotee, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ (Brs. 1.1.11), who has no other desire, he'll be protected by Me."
So people do not know that our only business is to take shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. That is the only business. We have no other business. Any other business means we are becoming entangled in this material world. And the aim of human life is to get out of these clutches of material world. People do not know it. They do not know. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). So it is very difficult; still, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's order to distribute this knowledge all over the world. So let us try. Even the people do not take our instruction, that is not our disqualification. Our qualification is let us try our best. The māyā is very strong. To take the living entities out of the clutches of māyā is not very easy thing. My Guru Mahārāja used to say... he had so many temples all over India, and he used to say some time that, "If by selling all these properties, temples, if I could turn one man to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then my mission will be successful." He used to say that.
So our purpose is not to construct big, big buildings. That is required for propaganda work, for giving shelter to people. But our main business is how to turn the face of the bewildered conditioned soul towards Kṛṣṇa. That is our method. That is our main purpose. Therefore, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and other Vaiṣṇavas, they did not advise to give much attention for constructing big, big temples and maṭhas. Because if our attention is diverted towards these material things... material things means, as I have repeatedly explained, forgetful of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise there is no... nothing material. It is illusion. Illusion means actually there is nothing material. How it can be material? If the Supreme Lord is Supreme Spirit, everything is coming from Him, so what we call the material energy, that is also coming from the Supreme.
But the difficulty is that in this inferior energy... inferior energy means where there is possibility of forgetting Kṛṣṇa. Actually, that is the fact. People are engaged in so many activities. We can see it very nicely in the Western countries. They are inventing so many modern facilities. But the result is they're forgetting Kṛṣṇa. That is material. Material means forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, there is nothing except Kṛṣṇa. Idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān ivetaraḥ. Prahlāda Mahārāja... yes, Nārada Mahārāja said that, "This world is Kṛṣṇa." Idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān ivetaraḥ. "But it appears like that it is different from Bhagavān." Actually, there is... for a mahā-bhāgavata (pure devotee), he has no such conception, material conception, because he sees everywhere Kṛṣṇa.
Sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhe nā dekhe tāra mūrti (CC Madhya 8.274).
He's seeing one tree, but he is... he's forgetful of the tree; he's seeing energy of Kṛṣṇa. As soon as he sees the energy of Kṛṣṇa, he sees Kṛṣṇa. Therefore instead of seeing the tree, he sees Kṛṣṇa. Because one after, after, coming, reference to the context. As soon as he sees anything we call material, he sees this is the conversion of the energy. Pariṇāma-vāda. Sarvedam akhilaṁ jagat. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ.
Parasya bra... just like as soon as you see the sunshine, you see immediately sun. Is it not? In the morning, as soon as you see within your window the sunshine, immediately you remember sun and you are confident sun is there. Without sun, how there can be sunshine? Similarly, whatever we see, if we immediately see Kṛṣṇa with reference to that particular thing... because that particular thing is the manifestation of the energy of Kṛṣṇa.
So those who have understood Kṛṣṇa along with His energies, he sees the energy, because energy is not different from the energetic. He sees immediately Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he does not see anything except Kṛṣṇa. So therefore, for him there is no material world. There is no material world. To a perfect devotee, there is no material world. Everything is spiritual. Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. He sees everything Brahman.
So we have to make our eyes to see Kṛṣṇa. Tat-paratvena nirmalam.
sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ
tat-paratvena nirmalam
hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-'
sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate
(CC Madhya 19.170)
Tat-paratvena. As soon as we are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, our seeing, touching, smelling—everything become nirmala, purified. Then we can immediately see Kṛṣṇa. These eyes, so long it is not purified, we cannot see Kṛṣṇa. As soon as it is purified, you see Kṛṣṇa, nothing but Kṛṣṇa. So this is the process.
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Vrindavan, November 11, 1972)
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