So we can become immediately liberated from this prison house of material existence if we accept this teaching of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇera dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). And therefore so many arrangement. We are having Kṛṣṇa Deity here, and every one of us, we are engaged as servant. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṇgāra-tan-mandira-mār janādau **. Somebody is engaged in cleansing the temple. All servant, we are. Somebody is engaged in dressing the Deity. Somebody is engaged in preparing nice foodstuff for Deity. Somebody is making flower garlands. Somebody is going to distribute literature to make people understand the glories of Kṛṣṇa. So in this way Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means everyone is engaged cent percent to become servant of Kṛṣṇa. So those who are sincerely engaged in the service of the Lord, they are all liberated. They are all liberated. The Māyāvādīs who are trying to become liberated in so many ways, mystic yoga practice and austere penances, and so on, so on, so on, so on... You can get that liberty immediately, simply by engaging yourself in some service of Kṛṣṇa. Immediately. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. Even little service you give, it is your permanent asset. Even if you fall down from that service platform, still, whatever you have done, it will never go in vain. As soon as there is opportunity, again you shall begin from that point where you left. Therefore everyone... Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ hareḥ (SB 1.5.17). There is a verse spoken by Nārada Muni, that even by sentiment, not understanding properly the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even by sentiment—"All right, let me also dance and chant like these people, the saffron-colored, shaved-head people are doing. Let me do that"—so once dancing with them will never go in vain. It will (be) immediately accounted, "Ah, he has danced." It is so nice. It will never go in vain. Then these children are dancing. Don't think it is spoiling time. Everything is recorded. This you will find in the, our Nectar of Devotion. You'll find. Rūpa Gosvāmī... It will never go in vain. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura also sings, keno māyār bośe, yāccho bhese', khāccha hābuḍubhu bhāi, jīv kṛṣṇa-dās, ei viśvās, korle to' ār duḥkha nāi. Everyone is being washed away by the big waves of the ocean of nescience, but if he simply accepts, "No, I am Kṛṣṇa dāsa. I am not master. I am not God. I am simply a servant..." And the more you become servant of the servant, more you are perfect. Not directly servant. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). This is perfection. Don't try to become directly Kṛṣṇa dāsa. Kṛṣṇa's servant, his servant, his servant, his servants—you come down to the hundredth point of servant; then you are perfection.
- tāndera caraṇa-sevi-bhakta-sane vās
- janame janame mora ei abhilās
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura said, "Let me become the servant of the servant and live with devotees (CC Madhya 13.80). That is my desire."
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is that let us live amongst devotees. Why we are struggling to get so many centers open? Because devotees will live there, follow the regulative principles according to the instruction of the śāstra and spiritual master, guided by, and people will get chance. As soon as one comes in this society of devotee, he'll get some opportunity. And svalpam apy asya... That is meant. Even by sentiment one comes... Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ hareḥ (SB 1.5.17). The Nārada Muni said, "Even by sentiments, one gives up his occupational duty, so-called occupational duty, and surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, even not understanding fully..." So śāstra says, "What is the loss there?" And if one is performing one's material duties very perfectly, then what is gain there? He's simply wasting time. And a devotee, even by sentiment or whimsically comes in this center and gives some service, that is a permanent record. And these karmīs, although they are acting very sincerely, but there is no guarantee what is the next life. He may become a dog. There are 8,400,000 species of life, and tyaktvā deham... Or what is that? Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). These will be dehāntara, change of this body. The body will be finished, everyone knows, but body being finished, you are not finished; nobody is finished. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Then he has to accept another body. So if we do not work according to the rules and regulation of nature, then we have to accept another body, and we do not know what kind of body you are going to accept. But it will be a gift by nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni (BG 3.27). Eh? Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). So they do not know these things, the rascal civilization. Just like dancing like dog, that's all. This is rascal civilization. They have no responsibility of life, and dancing like dog. No. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very scientific movement. Everyone should try to understand. If he wants to understand through science, through philosophy, through logic—in any way—through religion, through culture—anyway he wants to understand, we have got volumes of books. Try to understand. It is not a bluff. It is all scientific. So either you accept as Kṛṣṇa, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, that jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇera dāsa... (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). If you immediately accept the words of, accept the words of Kṛṣṇa-sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ (BG 18.66)—that is very good. But if you are very learned philosopher, scientist, then read books. Both ways we have prepared to convince you.
So,
- jīvera svarūpa haya kṛṣṇera nitya-dāsa
- kṛṣṇera taṭasthā-śakti bhedābheda-prakāśa
- (CC Madhya 20.108)
Bhedābheda-prakāśa. Bheda means difference, and abheda means one. Two philosophies are going on. The Māyāvādīs, they say, "We are the same." So 'ham: "I am the same." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am the Supreme Brahman." But the Vedic literature says, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, but Kṛṣṇa, or God, is Param Brahman. In the Vedas there is no such thing as ahaṁ paraṁ brahmāsmi. No. They are misusing. The... Instead of understanding... Brahman, every one of us, we are Brahman. There is no doubt about it. But unfortunately, by mistake, by illusion, I am thinking, "I am this body." So spiritual education means first of all one has to understand that ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am Brahman. I am not this body." That is the beginning of spiritual education.
- brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
- na śocati na kāṅkṣati
- samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
- mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
- (BG 18.54)
One has to become first of all... Not become. Just to understand one has to come to the platform of Brahman. Then spiritual education begins.
- brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
- naśocati na kāṅkṣati
- samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
- mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
So bhakti is not very ordinary thing. It begins after one is liberated. The Māyāvādī says that "By bhakti one can become one with God." No. That is not bhakti. That is Māyāvāda. That is mistake. Bhakti means to understand that "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa." This conviction is possible when one is brahma-bhūtaḥ. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati. Brahma-bhūta means "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa," as it is said, sūryāṁśa-kiraṇa, yaiche agni-jvālā-caya, svābhāvika kṛṣṇera... Oh... When one understands this, that "I am... My position is eternal servant," that is brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20). Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Then undoubtedly he becomes immediately jubilant, that "Now I have got my real master to serve. I am serving so many, I mean, items, in the family, in the society, in the community, in the nation. But I could not be satisfied. Neither I am..., persons to whom I have given my service, they are also not satisfied." This is wrong service. Nobody is satisfied. The so-called master is not satisfied, and the so-called servant is not satisfied. The so-called servant means that "Unless you pay me, I am not going to serve you." Strike. "I am your master. You pay me. Then I shall serve you." So nobody is servant actually. Everyone wants to become master, either collectively or individually. That is māyā. This is material world. And when one understands that he is not a master—he is servant—and the real master is Kṛṣṇa, that is liberation.