View source for The temple is meant for giving chances to the nondevotees. Some way or other, if he comes in the temple, bows down, dances with us, takes the prasadam, takes caranamrta, that means he is becoming spiritually advanced

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{{terms|"The temple is meant for giving chances to the nondevotees. Some way or other, if he comes in the temple, bows down, dances with us, takes the prasādam, takes caraṇāmṛta, that means he is becoming spiritually advanced"}}
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[[Category:Temples]]
[[Category:Meant]]
[[Category:Given The Chance]]
[[Category:Nondevotees of God]]
[[Category:Some Way or Other]]
[[Category:Come To]]
[[Category:Bowing Down to Krsna]]
[[Category:Dancing]]
[[Category:With]]
[[Category:Take Prasadam]]
[[Category:Caranamrta]]
[[Category:That Means...]]
[[Category:Become Spiritually Advanced]]
[[Category:Pages Needing Audio - SHARMISTHA]]
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<h2>Lectures</h2>
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<h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3>
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The temple is meant for giving chances to the nondevotees. Some way or other, if he comes in the temple, bows down, dances with us, takes the prasādam, takes caraṇāmṛta, that means he is becoming spiritually advanced.
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[[Vanisource:720618 - Lecture SB 02.03.21 - Los Angeles|720618 - Lecture SB 02.03.21 - Los Angeles]]
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The idea is that if we bow down or surrender unto the lotus feet of Mukunda—Mukunda, Kṛṣṇa, one who gives liberation—then we can enjoy princely order or richness. There is no harm. But if we are lacking in that capacity to surrender unto the Supreme Lord, and simply become puffed up with these riches, then it will be burden. Burden means very soon everything will be lost. Just like you cannot keep the burden, heavy burden, on your head for a long time, similarly, this nice turban, silk turban, will be felt as great burden.

This is the law of nature. If you misuse the power and do not feel obliged to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has given you the power, then you'll be finished very soon. That is the history. Any nation, any empire, any man, as soon as one begins to defy the authority of the Supreme Lord, like Rāvaṇa, he'll be finished. Sooner or later, he's going to be finished. Just like Rāvaṇa, he was very much puffed up by his material opulence, and he did not care for Rāma. And he wanted the potency, energy of Rāma, spiritual energy, Sītā. And he kidnapped. He wanted that, "I . . ." that he did not like Rāma, but he liked Sītā. Sītā is energy. Woman and money, these are energies of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is puruṣa, and all other things are prakṛti. Prakṛti is enjoyed by the puruṣa.

So Kṛṣṇa says, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram ([[Vanisource:BG 5.29 (1972)|BG 5.29]]). He's bhoktā. He's the enjoyer. This . . . in the, in the material world or spiritual world, the same thing is there. The woman is there, the money is there, and the puruṣa is there, enjoyer is there. But here the puruṣa is imitation. Imitation. Because one who is playing the part of puruṣa, enjoyer, he's not actually puruṣa, but he's prakṛti. Falsely, he representing himself as puruṣa, as enjoyer. Therefore we have got trouble. Artificially . . . just like a woman, if he's (she's) artificially trying to be man, as it is botheration, it is not possible. If a woman is dressed like a man, does it mean that he's man . . . she is man, or she can enjoy like man? No. False dress.

Similarly, here in this material world, we are falsely dressed with this material body and imitating Kṛṣṇa, enjoyer, exactly like the woman dressed in male's dress wants to enjoy. That is not possible. Similarly, here, the living entity, either dressed in male dress or female dress . . . this outward body is dress. Somebody is dressed like a female, somebody is dressed like a male, but none of them are male. Both of them are originally female, prakṛti. Prakṛti means feminine gender. Prakṛti. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, aparā, apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parā ([[Vanisource:BG 7.5 (1972)|BG 7.5]]): "This material energy—earth, water, fire, air—these are . . . they are also My energy," Kṛṣṇa says: "But they are inferior energy. But there is another energy, jīva-bhūtaḥ, the living entities, and that is superior energy."

So the superior energy is dressed in two ways: as male and female. Because without male and female, there is no enjoyment. Therefore they have been dressed falsely by the material nature as enjoyer. Here, either a woman or a man, everyone is trying to enjoy. Nobody is trying to become enjoyed. Everyone is trying to enjoy. But he cannot. He or she . . . everyone is she, but some, some of them, are dressed like he. Because everyone is prakṛti. But this mentality, that "I shall enjoy," that is false, I mean to say, propensity of the living entity. That is called māyā. He cannot enjoy, but he is posing himself as enjoyer. That is the disease. He's po . . . up to the end, he's trying to become God. The so-called tapasya, jñānī, yogī, they are trying to come to the liberated position, but thinking that "I shall become God." The same diseases. Up to the end, the same disease. God means "enjoyer."

So this disease can be cured only by surrender. That is the only medicine. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ([[Vanisource:BG 18.66 (1972)|BG 18.66]]). Here also the same thing: bhāraḥ paraṁ paṭṭa-kirīṭa-juṣṭam. A princely order, a king, he has been given the chance of ruling over, over a kingdom, but if he forgets his position—he actually becomes the proprietor—then this kingdom will be burden. Just like it became so in the case of Rāvaṇa, and he was finished.

Similarly, as soon as the kings of the world became puffed up with their false power, the monarchy is now finished, all over the world. Otherwise, say, five hundred years ago, all over the world there were kings, monarchy, monarchical government. But they misused their power. They did not surrender. Therefore their turban or crown became very burdensome, and they had to give it up. Still in some countries the so-called king or queen are existing, and they have no power. It is simply a show-bottle. So they have lost their power.

So we should be very much careful, not become puffed up by a princely order, turban, but we must know that this opulence, this kingdom, this power . . . everyone. Anyone who has got some power, he must know that, "This power is given by Kṛṣṇa unto me, and to execute His will, not my sense gratification." Otherwise it will be burden, and he will be finished. This is laws of God. Nobody can become the enjoyer. The only enjoyer is God. And if we want to enjoy falsely, then we will be in trouble.

Similarly, those who are rich, have got ornaments, bangles, if the hand is not engaged in the service of the Lord . . . therefore we should always engage our hands. Not only hands, hands, legs, eyes—everything—should be engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. Either you wipe the floor of the temple, or you type, or anything, or you do something . . . hands must be engaged for the service of the Lord.

Similarly, legs should be engaged also for the service of the Lord. The legs can be engaged . . . if you are living in a distant place, engage your legs to come here. That is the engagement of the leg. Eyes should be engaged to see very beautiful Deity, well decorated. Then you'll feel satisfaction. Otherwise, your eyes will draw you to see something nonsense beautiful. So all our senses should be engaged. Then there is no māyā. If you have got good engagement, then there is no scope for wrong engagement. The wrong engagement is māyā, and good engagement is Kṛṣṇa.

So try to engage yourself always in Kṛṣṇa's service, and māyā will not be able to touch you. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ ([[Vanisource:SB 9.4.18-20|SB 9.4.18]]). If you engage your tongue for talking about Kṛṣṇa, to taste kṛṣṇa-prasādam, then there will be no scope of your tongue for being engaged in nonsense talking, for going to restaurant and take nonsense food. You may . . . the Māyāvādī philosophy is to stop by force, to make it zero. "My senses are giving me trouble. To . . . so put out, pluck out the eyeballs." This is their treatment.

That is not possible. Because we are living entity, we have got all our senses. Then because we have got senses, therefore we are living. A dead stone has no senses. So there . . . that is the distinction between living entity and matter. But the so-called rascal philosopher, scientist, they do not know this distinction; still, they philoso . . . philosophize, they theorize. They think that the dead stone and the human being or living entity is the same. That is their fault. The living entity is a different entity. It is not dead stone. Therefore it is called superior energy. It has got will. It has got little independence. Therefore he is selecting different types of body for enjoyment.

So the modern material scientist, so-called scientist, actually, they are fools and rascals. As it is mentioned in the Bhāgavatam, sa eva go-karaḥ. Why big scientist and philosophers have been described in the Bhāgavatam as fools and rascals? Because, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke ([[Vanisource:SB 10.84.13|SB 10.84.13]]). Because they consider this body is self. That is their fault. That is their ignorance. The Darwin's theory, this theory, that theory, simply they are bewildered, thinking this body is the self; the body's developing or evolution . . . no.

So all our senses should be engaged in the service of the Lord. That is perfection. It is indirectly being said in these verses that if our senses are not engaged in the service of the Lord, then it is dead. Śāvau. Śāvau karau no kurute saparyām. Just like a dead man, he has got his legs and hands, but he cannot employ it for any service. It is now flat. Actually, it is flat, but because within the body there is the soul, who is eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, if he does not come to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness platform and does not engage himself in the service of the Lord, then his hands, legs, heads, everything, is dead body's head—the decoration of dead body. This is the conclusion.

Now go on reading.

Pradyumna: "As stated herein before, there are three kinds of devotees of the Lord. The first-class devotee does not see at all anyone who is not in the service of the Lord, but the second-class devotee makes distinctions between devotees and nondevotees. The second-class devotees are therefore meant for preaching work, and as referred to in the above verse, they must loudly preach the glories of the Lord. The second-class devotee accepts disciples from the section of third-class devotees or nondevotees. Sometimes the first-class devotees also come down to the category of the second-class devotee for preaching work. But the common man, who is expected to become at least a third-class devotee, is advised herein to visit the temple of the Lord and bow down before the Deity, even though he may be a very rich man or even a king with a silk turban or crown."

"The Lord is the Lord of everyone, including the great kings and emperors, and as such, rich men in the estimation of mundane people must therefore make a point to visit the temple of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and regularly bow down before the Deity."

Prabhupāda: Yes. This bow down . . . even the children, they are imitating bowing down, but it has got the effect. Not that the children, they have no seriousness about . . . seriousness or no serious, simply if he bows down, he gets the result. He gets the re . . . dancing, he's dancing. He's getting the result. He's becoming a devotee. This is called ajñāta-sukṛti. These are the statements in Bhakti-rasām . . . Nectar of Devotion. You'll find. The temple is meant for giving chances to the nondevotees. Some way or other, if he comes in the temple, bows down, dances with us, takes the prasādam, takes caraṇāmṛta, that means he is becoming spiritually advanced.

Therefore this is a chance. And actually, our Society is giving this chance. In the beginning they come as a inquisitive visitor. Then dances, then chants, then take prasādam and, say, after a week, he becomes shaven. So this is the process. Association of the devotee, coming to the temple, will give him impetus to make further progress.
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