View source for Even if he does so, or he is a very nice brahmana, nice ksatriya, so he has done his duty very nicely, but he has not taken to Krsna consciousness. Sastra says, what he has gained? What he has gained

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{{terms|"Even if he does so, or he is a very nice brahmana, nice ksatriya, so he has done his duty very nicely, but he has not taken to Krsna consciousness. Sastra says, what he has gained? What he has gained"}}
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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="0" parent="Lectures" text="Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures"><h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureonBG240LondonSeptember131973_0" class="quote" parent="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" book="Lec" index="102" link="Lecture on BG 2.40 - London, September 13, 1973" link_text="Lecture on BG 2.40 - London, September 13, 1973">
<div class="heading">Suppose one is very nicely executing his occupational duty, he's a businessman, very routine work, doing business, making profit and everyone appreciates his routine work. Even if he does so, or he is a very nice brāhmaṇa, nice kṣatriya, so he has done his duty very nicely, but he has not taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śāstra says, what he has gained? What he has gained?
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on BG 2.40 - London, September 13, 1973|Lecture on BG 2.40 - London, September 13, 1973]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So when you come to the bhakti platform, that is simply to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. In the material platform, everyone is to satisfy his own whims. That is a different thing. So if you give up your material activities, tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ hareḥ, and, by sentiment or by canvassing or by seeing that "These people are Kṛṣṇa conscious people, they are very nice, they are chanting in the street, let me join," somehow or other, if you come in contact, then... (tape is wavy) I think one of our students joined, he was going to business and seeing the chanting, dancing in the street, he immediately joined. Who is that? I think Dhruva?</p>
<p>Devaratha: Devaratha, yes.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: And he joined immediately. So, this is nice. This is nice. Tyaktvā sva-dharmam—he was meant for something else, but he joined Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujam. All right, you have joined Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that's all right. Execute it nicely, make progress. But not progress—tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer bhajann apakvo 'tha ([[Vanisource:SB 1.5.17|SB 1.5.17]]). If he could not execute properly, he could not chant sixteen rounds, he could not observe the rules and regulations or for sometimes he could execute and then again, he became slackened. Just like sometimes we see some of our student falls down. So Nārada Muni says, bhajann apakvo 'tha. His execution of devotional service could not be completed; somehow or other, it was checked, it was obstructed, and he falls down again in the clutches of māyā, falls down. There is possibility. Māyā is very strong. Māyā is very strong. At any moment we can fall down. Therefore we have to keep ourselves very much vigilant, strong, strong. Strength, the spiritual strength is the chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and following the rules and regulations. Then māyā cannot. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te ([[Vanisource:BG 7.14|BG 7.14]]). If you keep yourself strictly to the principles of bhakti-yoga, māyā's father also will not be able to do anything. No.</p>
<p>So here it is said, bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi. Yadi, not always. If sometimes one falls down, without... Then, yatra kva vā abhadram abhūd amuṣya kim. Then what is the loss there? He's not a loser. Still he's gainer. Because for the time being, whatever he has done sincerely, serving Kṛṣṇa, that is credited forever, eternally. It will be never lost. Mind that. Do sincerely, and you'll be never lost. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati ([[Vanisource:BG 9.31|BG 9.31]]), Kṛṣṇa says. "My dear Arjuna, you declare it, that none of My devotees will ever be vanquished. I'll give you protection." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi ([[Vanisource:BG 18.66|BG 18.66]]). So do it sincerely. Don't think that "Even if I fall, there is no loss." No, don't think like that. Why I shall fall? I've taken to Kṛṣṇa's shelter, why shall you give it up? This is my life. But even if you fall down, that is also said, so there is no loss. There is no loss because, suppose if you have executed fifty percent. Fifty percent you could not do. You fall down again. In another place it is also said, yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate ([[Vanisource:BG 6.41|BG 6.41]]). Yoga-bhraṣṭa: falling down from devotional service, he gets next chance again. He gets birth in very good family, rich family, and pure family, brāhmaṇa family, so that again he'll be given chance. "Now, you begin again." These are explained, you'll find. Therefore, Nārada Muni says that even if he is, for the time being, failure, then there is no loss. But on the other hand, ko vā artha āptaḥ abhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ. Suppose one is very nicely executing his occupational duty, he's a businessman, very routine work, doing business, making profit and everyone appreciates his routine work. Even if he does so, or he is a very nice brāhmaṇa, nice kṣatriya, so he has done his duty very nicely, but he has not taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śāstra says, what he has gained? What he has gained? In many places it is confirmed, in Bhāgavata, that,</p>
:ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā
:varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ
:svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya
:saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam
:([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.13|SB 1.2.13]])
<p>Take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness means the way how you can please the Supreme Lord. But if by executing your so-called occupational duty of the body, if you do not take care of taking to Kṛṣṇa consciousness or pleasing the Supreme Lord, then you have no gain. You are simply working for nothing, wasting your time. You are thinking that "I'm doing my duty very nicely. I'm a brāhmaṇa, I'm doing my duty." "I am businessman doing my duty," "I'm scientist." "I am..." Actually, you are not doing your duty. Your real duty is to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That you have forgotten. Therefore Nārada Muni says ko vā artha āptaḥ abhajatām. One who is not taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not engaged in devotional—abhajatām. So what does he gain? In another place, the Bhāgavata says, śrama eva hi kevalam.</p>
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