(Click to enlarge painting of Krishna and Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra)
"Take, take the example of Arjuna. What is that? He was in the battlefield. The problem was to fight or not to fight. But so long he was not in the brahma-bhūta stage, identifying his body, that 'I am this body,' he was thinking the bodily relationship: 'Oh, he's my father. He's my brother. He's my uncle. He's my grandfather.' He was hesitant. But the same fighting remained after hearing Bhagavad-gītā. And what is the change? The change is that bodily identification gone, spiritual identification taken, that he, as part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, it is his duty to serve Kṛṣṇa: 'Kṛṣṇa wants this fight. I must fight. That's all.' Similarly, brahma-bhūta stage means when you fight for Kṛṣṇa. The fighting here, in this world, nobody can remain without fighting, struggle for existence. Everyone has to fight. Daily you are fighting to exist. Utilize this fighting for Kṛṣṇa, then your life is successful. Yuddhyasva mām anusmara (BG 8.7). It is not that, oh, fighting is stopped. Fighting you have to do so long you are in this material world. Kṛṣṇa consciousness does not mean to become lazy. You have to act practically for Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So everything will remain the same. But when it is done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that means you are making progress, spiritual realization. And, doing that, if you are so fortunate that always thinking of Kṛṣṇa and dying for Kṛṣṇa, then your life is successful. You at once transferred to Kṛṣṇaloka. This is the process, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So you haven't got to do anything. Simply you have to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and for Kṛṣṇa. Then your life is successful. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: yat karoṣi yad juhoṣi yad aśnāsi yat tapasyasi kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam (9.27). Now, yat karoṣi. You have to do something. You have to work. Kṛṣṇa does not say, 'Oh, because you are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you, you simply...' If you can, simply can think of Kṛṣṇa, it is very good. But in our present position, that is not possible, because we are not so advanced that we can simply think of Kṛṣṇa. But simply think of Kṛṣṇa is automatically done if you work for Kṛṣṇa. The same example, just like I gave you several times, that a woman who is attached with another lover, he, she appears to be very much engaged in the family duties but she's always thinking of her lover, when she'll meet at night. The thinking process is going on even with the activities of her household affairs. These examples are given in Vedic literature. Similarly, if you actually love Kṛṣṇa, then, in spite of your being engaged in so many works, you can think of Kṛṣṇa, full meditation. That is possible, practical. If you have got, I mean to say, very eager attraction for a certain thing, in spite of your acting differently, you are thinking of that. There are many examples. Suppose somebody beloved, your son, is ill at home. You have come to office to work. You are working but you are thinking, 'How is the boy? How the child is there? How the child is there?' It is a question of love only. So there are certain processes, regulative processes. If you follow those processes, then automatically you become a lover of Kṛṣṇa. Just like one process: this chanting. You go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and you'll find very soon you become a lover of Kṛṣṇa."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Boston, May 7, 1968)
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