Real friendship

Expressions researched:
"real friendship" |"Real love, the friendship"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

If you want real friendship, then make friendship with Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.8.43 -- Mayapura, October 23, 1974: So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to practice in this life how to enter Kṛṣṇa's family. You enter Kṛṣṇa's family as you like. There are five rasas: śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, sākhya-rasa, vātsalya-rasa, and mādhurya-rasa. That is reflected in this world also, the same. Tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ vinimayaḥ. This..., this material world is reflection of the spiritual world. Chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā [Bs. 5.44]. Here there are rasas, śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa. Here also there is master and servant; there is friend and friend; there is father and mother and the son; there is beloved. Everything is there, but they are imitation, chāya. They are not reality. So if you want real friendship, then make friendship with Kṛṣṇa.

Have real friendship, real fatherhood, real lover, real beloved, real son.

Lecture on SB 3.25.38 -- Bombay, December 7, 1974: So don't be attached to this illusion. Tamasi mā. Tamasi means ignorance. In ignorance, if you accept somebody as son or wife or friend, that is darkness. It is not actual fact. It is ignorance. Tamasi mā jyotir gama: "Go to the light." Have real friendship, real fatherhood, real lover, real beloved, real son. So if... And another point is that a devotee, real devotee, he doesn't want to be the son of God. He wants to be the father of God. Why? The father means he will simply give to the son. And son means he will simply take. So just like in the Christian philosophy it is said, "O God, give us our daily bread." This is one philosophy. That's a fact. God is giving. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. God is feeding everyone. That's a fact. But a devotee does not want to take anything from God. He does not worship God for his daily bread. One who asks daily bread from God, they are pious, but they are not devotees.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

Kṛṣṇa can give you protection. This is real friendship.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1972: We are becoming leaders, the friend of the people. But we are not friend of the people. Kṛṣṇa is the friend of... Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. If I simply say that "I am your friend in this sense that I deliver the message to you that 'Kṛṣṇa is your best friend.' I do not... I am friend so far I am giving you this information. But actual friend is Kṛṣṇa," suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām, so this is friendship. If one preaches Kṛṣṇa consciousness and teaches everyone that Kṛṣṇa is your best friend... He does not say, "I am your best friend." "I am your best friend in this sense that I am giving you this information." Actually, Kṛṣṇa is your best friend. What can I do? I am a teeny living entity. What can I do for you? I be..., may become your friend, but when you are in danger, I cannot give you any protection. Kṛṣṇa can give you protection. This is real friendship. He does not take himself. He always carries the message only. Ya imaṁ mad-bhakteṣu abhidāsyati. Simply our business is to carry the message of Kṛṣṇa. Then we are friend. Otherwise we are not friend. We may pose to become friend, but we are not friend because we do not know how to benefit the friend. Sometimes we mislead him.

General Lectures

Real love is in the spiritual world between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Real love is between Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs. Real love, the friendship is there between Kṛṣṇa and His cowherds boys.

Lecture on Gurvastakam at Upsala University -- Stockholm, September 9, 1973: in the Vedānta-sūtra, it is said, janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]. This Absolute Truth means wherefrom everything comes, emanates. Just like here we find love between mother and son, love between wife and husband, love between master and servant, love between friends and friends, love between master and the dog or the cat or the cow. Same thing. These are only reflection of the spiritual world. The same thing is there. Kṛṣṇa is also good lover of the animals, calves and cows. As we love here dogs and cats, Kṛṣṇa loves there cows and calves. You have seen the picture of Kṛṣṇa. So the propensity to love even an animal is there. Otherwise how it can be reflected here? This is simply shadow reflection. If, in the reality, there is nothing like that, then how it can be reflected here? So everything is there. Therefore, that mellow, to understand, you have to practice. Here we have got frustration. Here we love. A man loves a woman or woman loves a man. But there is frustration. After some time, they are separated, they divorce, because it is perverted reflection. There is no real love in this material world. It is simply lust. Real love is in the spiritual world between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Real love is between Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs. Real love, the friendship is there between Kṛṣṇa and His cowherds boys. Real love between animal and man is there. Kṛṣṇa is loving the cows and calves. Real love between trees, flowers, water, simply that is the platform of love. That is spiritual world. Everything love.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Oh, yes, certainly. That is the real friendship work.

Morning Walk -- July 18, 1975, San Francisco:

Devotee: When we go out to distribute books, we try and show the karmīs that the devotee is actually their friend also.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, certainly. That is the real friendship work. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu says,

kota nidrā jāo māyā-piśācīra kole,

enechi auṣadhi māyā nāśibāro lāgi'

hari-nāma mahā-mantra lao tumi māgi'

This is friendship. "You are sleeping under the spell of māyā, and how long you will sleep and suffer in this material world? So I have brought this medicine. You take it and you will no more sleep."

enechi auṣadhi māyā nāśibāro lāgi'

hari-nāma mahā-mantra lao...

"Now take Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, this medicine."

hari-nāma mahā-mantra lao tumi māgi'