Everything is there in devotional service, in The Nectar of Devotion, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā we are publishing. If you do not understand, if you think that "These books are for sale, and we are all learned. We have learned everything. Finished. Our business is finished," that will not improve the condition.
- evaṁ prasanna-manaso
- bhagavad-bhakti-yoga
- bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ
- (SB 1.2.20)
It is a science. As you learn science… Just like our Svarūpa Dāmodara, Doctor—so he is now Doctor. We have got another Doctor in New Vrindaban; he is also scientist. So if you want to take the doctorate title, that is also the surrender. There are committees, three-, four-men committees. When they certify, "Yes. This is all right. This thesis presented by such and such, it is approved," then you get. So everywhere there is tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). So if we are not serious about understanding the science of Kṛṣṇa, if you take some opportunity to become this, to become that, and make some money, and this and that, then the whole thing is finished. For opportunists there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For the real surrendered soul: mad-āśrayaḥ.
So bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ. Everyone, we are at least here enlisted ourself to become a graduate in bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ. This is the process. Mad-āśrayaḥ, Kṛṣṇa says. Mad-āśrayaḥ means yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. To become under Kṛṣṇa or… That is not possible, because without taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa's servant, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80, Padyāvalī 74)... We have to become servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. Not aspiring, "I shall become directly servant of Kṛṣṇa." That is Māyāvāda. Our process is the servant of the… Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches, the servant of the… The more one has become servant of the hundredth generation down, he is perfect.
So try to understand.
- bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ
- mukta-saṅgasya jāyate
- (SB 1.2.20)
Bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ. This science, who can understand? Mukta-saṅgasya. Mukta means "liberated," and saṅga means "association." So association means we are always… We are contaminated by the material nature. Sometimes we are good; sometimes we are passionate; sometimes we are rascal. There are three gunas. Some of them are very good, and some of them are passionate and some of them are rascals. So we have to transcend even the platform of so-called goodness. That is called mukta-saṅga. Because in the material life, we are always associating with these gunas, three qualities, guna-mayī, māyā. Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī. Guna-mayī. Guna, these three gunas. So it is very difficult. Sometimes we are in the platform of goodness, then we fall down in the passion, then we fall down in ignorance. Or from ignorance I rise again in goodness and again fall down. This is going on. But therefore you have to become mukta-saṅgasya, above all these qualities. Above all. "I am very good man. I am good manager. I am this…," you have to surpass that also. That is called mukta-saṅgasya.
But that mukta-saṅgasya is possible when we are sincerely engaged in devotional service. Just like the Deity worship. The Deity worship means gradually to become mukta-saṅga. Therefore Deity worship is essential. There is process: You must all rise early in the morning; you must take bath; you should offer maṅgala-ārati. Then after that, after that, dressing, some flowering. In this way, if you always remain, then gradually you will become mukta-saṅga.