The Biblical truth is that man is made after God. Because we are sons of God, therefore God has got two hands, you have got also two hands. Just like your father has got two hands and you have got two hands, so you are made according to the body of your father, not that your father's body is made after your body. This is rationalism. Similarly, God's body is not made according to your body, but your body is made according to God's body. But this body is material; therefore we have to change. When we come to the spiritual platform, we get as good a body as that of Kṛṣṇa, which is eternal, full of bliss and full of knowledge. This is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Now here it is said, yad yaj jano bhagavate vidadhīta mānam (SB 7.9.11). Whatever you are offering to Kṛṣṇa . . . practically, we see that we are offering so many nice foodstuff to Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa, apparently it appears that Kṛṣṇa has not eaten. The prasādam is distributed among the devotees. Similarly, whatever is offered to the Supreme Lord, He is not in need of it, but He accepts it. He spiritualizes it, and it is meant for you. You are gainer. Whenever there is some special function to offer some nice foodstuff to the Lord, you can take the prasādam, so actual gainer you are. But you are gainer in both ways. You taste very nice foodstuff, at the same time you regain your spiritual consciousness.
So yad yaj bhagavat . . . yad yaj jano bhagavate vidadhīta mānam (SB 7.9.11). Whatever honor, respect or presentation is given to the Lord, it is enjoyed by Him. It is enjoyed by Him. So how it is so? Just the same example: just like you decorate your face, but you cannot see directly how your face is beautiful. But when you put your mirror before the face, on the reflection you see very nice decoration. Similarly, if you decorate the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa . . . that is the system of temple worship: very nicely decorated temple, very nicely decorated Deity, all nice foodstuff offered to the Deity—you will feel enjoyment. The more you do that, you'll feel enjoyment.
It is not nonproductive. It is very spiritually productive process. Yad yaj jano vidadhīta. Ayaṁ prabhur īśvara. Īśvara. Prabhu means īśvara. Naivātmanaḥ prabhur ayaṁ nija-lābha-pūrṇo (SB 7.9.11). Prabhu means īśvara. Prabhu means master, controller. If a person is controller, master of a big establishment, so what the laborer can offer him? He is already the proprietor. So here it is said, īśvara aviduṣaḥ akalpād janād mānaṁ pūjām ātmano 'rthe na vṛṇīte (SB 7.9.11). So do not foolishly think that the prescription given in the śāstras that whatever you have got, offered to Kṛṣṇa or offered to God, it is not that God is in want; it is your interest. The more you give to God, the more you become benefited. It is your interest.
But the foolish persons, they do not know it. Therefore God . . . like Bali Mahārāja. He goes, like Vāmanadeva, He goes to beg from Bali Mahārāja. And His representative, devotees of God, sannyāsīs, they also go to beg: "My dear sir, give us some contribution for our temple." It is not that he's beggar. It is for the person's benefit. He's spoiling his life in sense enjoyment, and this representative goes to him and takes some money from that hell-going activity and offers it to the Deity, so he'll be saved. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt (BG 2.40). Willingly or unwillingly, if you offer something to God, that will be a permanent credit. A permanent credit. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt (BG 2.40). Even little done, it can act so nicely that sometimes it can save you from the greatest danger.
Just like Ajāmila. The story of Ajāmila is that he was a son of a brāhmaṇa, and he was very nice boy. He was married, and he was acting just like a brāhmaṇa boy. One day he went to collect some flowers and some wood from the forest for his father's worship. His father was worshiping Deity, and he was helping. On the path he saw that one śūdra and his wife, without any shame, they were embracing and kissing. This young boy became attracted.
Therefore this system, that loving exchange or affairs should not be exhibited on the street. This is not very civilized form. In India it is not at all allowed. It is calculated indecent. There is punishment by law. But here the practice is different. But why it is so strict according to Vedic scripture? Here is the example. A young man was passing, and another young man and girl was embracing. Naturally he became excited. And of course, this kind of embracing and kissing on the public street is done not by any high class. So he was a śūdra.
So this Ajāmila was standing there, and the śūdrāṇī, or the śūdra woman, also called, and he became more excited, and he embraced and kissed her, and gradually became attracted to her. And he left his wife and home and father and mother, then became drunkard and everything for that prostitute. At the last moment, when he was old enough, when he could not earn, he could not cheat to bring money, the man Ajāmila was thrown in the street by that woman. Because she was not his legalized wife, she was prostitute, so did not like him.
But this man had a youngest son whose name was Nārāyaṇa. So when he was in precarious condition, he was just asking his youngest son Nārāyaṇa, "My dear boy, please come here." And by reciting this word "Nārāyaṇa," he remembered the same Nārāyaṇa whom he worshiped in his early age. Just see. Because under the direction of his father, as a brāhmaṇa boy he was being trained up to become a devotee of Nārāyaṇa, but unfortunately, he was misled by a prostitute, but still, he was saved at the last moment. And this is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt (BG 2.40).
So anybody who is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, even for a moment, it will never go in vain. It will act. It will act, and it will act so nicely that sometimes you'll be saved from the greatest danger. That experience some of our students have already expressed. One girl is present here, she also experienced this. She was attacked by some black Negroes, and she began to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and she was saved. So these things are actual fact. There are many instances. So svalpam apy asya trāyate mahato (BG 2.40). So anything, a little flower, a little fruit, a little water, you offer to Kṛṣṇa, or if you chant for a little while Hare Kṛṣṇa, or if you make association with devotees for a moment, this will never go in vain.
So the purpose of opening so many centers of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is to give chance to these forgotten men, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not a business. It is a charitable institution. It is hospital to cure the material disease. So unfortunately, people are not taking very much advantage, but those who are fortunate, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kono bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). Bhāgyavān. So only the fortunate persons. As it is also expressed in the Bhagavad-gītā, yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpam (BG 7.28). One who is completely free from all sinful reaction, such person can take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But the door is open for everyone. Everyone can come here and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is not difficult job. We distribute prasādam. So take advantage and be benefited in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.