(Click to enlarge photo of Srila Prabhupada)
"Now, by apprenticeship, by practice, if one sincerely follows this practice, then what is the result? Dhana pāile yaiche sukha-bhoga phala pāya. Just like a poor man, if he gets sufficient money, then at once his all distress is over, at once, immediately. Simultaneously, as soon as the sun is in the sky, at once the darkness is gone. Just in the morning, a little, not sun directly, but even there is sunshine far away, immediately the darkness goes away. I am in distress; I am in poverty-stricken. Suppose I get immediately some large amount of money. Immediately my distress gone. So exactly like that, dhana pāile yaiche sukha-bhoga phala pāya, then automatically he becomes happy, a poor man when he gets money. Similarly, as soon as we have little taste of this devotional service, at once all our miserable life becomes happy at once. Yes. Sukha-bhoga haite duḥkha āpani palāya. And if there is happiness, where is the question of misery? If there is light, where there is question of darkness?
So a person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he cannot be in distress of material miseries. It goes automatically, automatically. Taiche bhakti-phale kṛṣṇe prema upajaya. Similarly, by execution of this devotional service, gradually you develop love of God, love of God. And preme kṛṣṇāsvāda haile bhava nāśa... And as soon as you get a taste for Kṛṣṇa, you at once lose all this nonsense taste, culminating into sex life. The material taste means we want to gratify senses in so many ways, and the supermost point is sex life. So as soon as you get into touch with Kṛṣṇa and you develop Kṛṣṇa love, all this nonsense finished. Then you are liberated. And so long you are attached even to a pinch of material taste, there is no question of liberation from material miseries; you have to continue this transmigration from one body to another, and body means material miseries. The material body means material misery. You may get the body of a king or you may get the body of Brahmā or Indra, Candra or the ant or the insignificant animal. Any body, any material body, that is meant for miseries, miseries, tāpa-traya, threefold, threefold material miseries, and, besides that threefold miseries, ultimately birth, death, old age and diseases.
So to develop love of Kṛṣṇa means that is real liberation. And that love of Kṛṣṇa begins after many, many births of cultural life. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). When one surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa, that is the beginning of his real life. And as he makes progress, then he realizes—I have several times discussed this point—ādau śraddhā. First thing is that 'I must get myself out of this material contamination.' That is called śraddhā. 'In this very life I shall realize.' So this śraddhā, this belief and this determination, as you make more and more perfect, you make advance. You make advance. Not as official, not as makeshow, but really... Ādau śraddhā tato sādhu-saṅgaḥ. Then, as you are determined, so your taste for associating with devotees... Just like we are now associating with Lord Kṛṣṇa's, Lord Caitanya's, teaching. He is a great devotee. This is called sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83). Ādau śraddhā tato sādhu-saṅga tathā bhajana-kriyā. Then bhajana-kriyā, how to execute. Now Caitanya Mahāprabhu is teaching. You will gradually know what is the bhajana-kriyā, how to execute devotional service. That we shall come later on. Tato anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. And as soon as your devotional service, prescribed duties, are discharged, you become free from all material contamination. That is the test. Tato anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt tato niṣṭhā. Then you become firmly convinced. Tato niṣṭhā tato ruci. Then taste. Athāsakti: then you cannot give it up, at any circumstances cannot give it up. Athāsaktis tato bhāvas: then you become fully in samādhi, in trance. Sādhakānām ayaṁ premṇaḥ prādur... These are the steps of attaining love of God. Love of God is not that you can immediately go and purchase from the market in the store. You have to practice it. The love is there within you. It is not artificial, neither an imposition by some person or... No. It is already there. If you kindly become submissively hearing this, by hearing only, and if you practice, it will be very nice and quickly we shall develop.
So hearing and practicing. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234). Kirtana, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ jihvādau. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. The tongue especially meant, tongue. Tongue should be engaged, jihvā. How? Tongue should be engaged in glorifying. That is one business. And tongue should be engaged for eating kṛṣṇa-prasāda. These two things, chanting and eating. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. As soon as you submissively engage your tongue... Just see the technique: no other body, no other part. Tongue has been especially mentioned. And what is the business of tongue? I am speaking with the help of tongue. If there was no tongue, I could not talk with you. And another, I taste. So engage your tasting capacity of the tongue in kṛṣṇa-prasāda and engage your tongue in talking of Kṛṣṇa. Then this is the process. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. And as you engage them in this process, God will reveal to you. You cannot order God, 'Please come and be stand up. I shall see You.' He is not your servant. You have to please Him by your service attitude. Then He will reveal to you what He is. And that is bhakti. That is bhakti: taiche bhakti-phale kṛṣṇe prema upajaya. If you execute the devotional service, then you develop that love. And as soon as kṛṣṇa-prema āsvāda haile, bhava nāśa pāya... And as soon as you develop, the more the proportionate way of, you develop love of Kṛṣṇa, love of God, proportionately, you are free from this material contamination. When you are perfectly in Kṛṣṇa love, you are perfectly free from material contamination. This is the way of liberation.
dāridrya-nāśa, bhava-kṣaya—premera 'phala' naya
prema-sukha-bhoga-mukhya prayojana haya
So one should not think that 'Now I am materially happy. My all distress, my all poverty, has gone by Kṛṣṇa, by devotional service of Kṛṣṇa,' or 'I have become liberated.' No. These are by-products. To become liberated and to become materially happy by prosecution of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a by-product. You have to attempt further thing. And what is that? Prema-sukha-bhoga: you shall be absorbed in love of Kṛṣṇa. That is the... That is here recorded that that should be your ultimate goal of life. So we should not stop: 'Oh, now I am very happy. Now I have no material miseries,' or 'I am liberated. Now this material contamination does not affect me.' No. When you will be so much absorbed in love of God, just like Lord Caitanya showed... Cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me, govinda-viraheṇa me: 'Oh, I am crying. Just My tears coming, just torrents of rain from My eyes.' Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvam: 'I am seeing everything vacant.' Why? Govinda-viraheṇa me: 'In separation of Govinda.' That is highest stage of life. Govinda-viraheṇa me. Just like in this material world, if you love somebody and if he is dead and passed and gone, you see everything vacant. That is a test of that govinda viraha. But we are foolish. We know that everything will be finished here. Why should I give so much attachment to this nonsense? Give your attachment to Kṛṣṇa. He will never be finished. So that is love of Kṛṣṇa. We have to attain that stage. Yes. That is the perfection of life."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, November 29, 1966)
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