We are seeking friendship with so many people to get our motive realized. But if we make Kṛṣṇa . . . if we know Kṛṣṇa is already ready . . . in the Upaniṣad it is said that two birds in friendly way are sitting in the same tree, the body. So if we understand, "Kṛṣṇa is my best friend . . ." Kṛṣṇa says, suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. He's not only my friend, your friend, but He's a friend of everyone. So that friendship is equally distributed. But if one becomes special devotee, ye tu bhajanti māṁ prītyā, with love and affection, one who is engaged in the service of the Lord, He's especially inclined to him. That is Kṛṣṇa's mercy to the devotee. Kṛṣṇa is equal to everyone, but He is specially inclined to the devotees who is engaged in His service with love and faith.
- teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
- bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
- dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
- yena mām upayānti te
- (BG 10.10)
Kṛṣṇa gives him . . . because He specially takes cares of the devotee.
So everyone's heart, He is sitting. Kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata (BG 13.3). But He takes special care of the devotee, guides him, gives him intelligence. What kind of intelligence? Yena mām upayānti te. Just to give him the clue how one can go back to home, back to Godhead. Kṛṣṇa does not give intelligence how one can gain some material prosperity. That is entrusted to the māyā—devī-māyā, or Durgādevī.
Therefore people are not very much interested in worshiping Kṛṣṇa. They are generally interested in worshiping Goddess Durgā, Lord Śiva. Because by worshiping Lord Śiva, Goddess Durgā, they get material opulence. So to worship the demigods means cent percent materialism. There is no question of spiritual life. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says . . . what is that verse? Naṣṭa-buddhayaḥ. Kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ yajante 'nya-devatāḥ (BG 7.20). Those who are interested in worshiping other demigods, their intelligence is taken away, hṛta-jñāna. Kāmais tais tair . . . māyayāpahṛta-jñāna. These terms are there.
Māyā is working in two ways: prakṣepātmikā-śakti, āvaraṇātmikā-śakti. Āvaraṇātmikā-śakti means she is covering. Āvaraṇātmikā-śakti, she is covering. Real fact is covered by māyā. Just like the cloud covers the sunshine—we cannot see. Now a few days it is going on, there is cloud always. We do not see the sun. That does not mean there is no sun in the sky. So māyā does not allow us to see Kṛṣṇa. That is one śakti. Āvaraṇātmikā-śakti. And another śakti is prakṣepātmikā-śakti: even one desires to see Kṛṣṇa, she throws away. She tests whether actually he wants Kṛṣṇa, or keeping Kṛṣṇa in the front, he wants some material pleasure. Therefore she throws away. In this way māyā-śakti is acting. Kṛṣṇa therefore says, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Māyā is very powerful. But if one is very rigid in devotional service, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etān taranti te, he can overcome the influence of māyā.
So kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi. So that kṣetrajña, knower of the body, Kṛṣṇa, He's also there. He's always ready to help us, provided we are serious about Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. So this is the process of pleasing Kṛṣṇa. Just like we are sitting here together and we are talking about Kṛṣṇa. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is specially meant for talking about Kṛṣṇa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Caitanya Mahāprabhu ordered:
- āmāra ajñāya guru haña tāra ei deśa
- yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa
- (CC Madhya 7.128)
This is our mission. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means we are preaching the teachings of Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavad-gītā as it is, kṛṣṇa-upadeśa. Another kṛṣṇa-upadeśa, about Kṛṣṇa. Bhagavad-gītā is the instruction given by Kṛṣṇa, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the instruction given by Vyāsadeva and other sages about Kṛṣṇa. So both of them are kṛṣṇa-kathā. So that is our mission, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa. What Kṛṣṇa is instructing directly, that is also kṛṣṇa-upadeśa, and what is being spoken about Kṛṣṇa, that is also kṛṣṇa-upadeśa.