If you write books about Krsna, if you read books about Krsna, if you talk about Krsna, you think of Krsna, you worship Krsna, you cook for Krsna, you eat for Krsna - so that is krsna-kirtana

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"If you write books about Krsna, if you read books about Krsna"

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Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Just like we perform kīrtana with khol, karatāla, this is also kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. And to write books, that is also kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. And to read books, that is also kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. Not that simply this kīrtana is kīrtana. If you write books about Kṛṣṇa, if you read books about Kṛṣṇa, if you talk about Kṛṣṇa, you think of Kṛṣṇa, you worship Kṛṣṇa, you cook for Kṛṣṇa, you eat for Kṛṣṇa—so that is kṛṣṇa-kīrtana.

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Lecture on SB 2.1.2 -- Vrndavana, March 17, 1974:

Prabhupāda: So we should be distinct from the so-called gosvāmīs. Those who will remain in Vṛndāvana, esp... Everywhere. Everywhere is Vṛndāvana. Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa's temple, Kṛṣṇa's saṅkīrtana, that is Vṛndāvana. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that "My mind is always Vṛndāvana." Because He's always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is there—He's Kṛṣṇa Himself—just to teach us. So similarly, anywhere you live, if you are actually follower of the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, as Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), then that is Vṛndāvana. Wherever you live. Do not think that "Because in Melbourne we have got a temple, the Melbourne Deities are here, so that is not Vṛndāvana." That is also Vṛndāvana. If you worship the Deity very rigidly, follow the rules and regulations, so wherever you do, that is Vṛndāvana. Especially this Vṛndāvana dhāma, where Kṛṣṇa actually appeared. So this is Vṛndāvana, Goloka Vṛndāvana. Here, those who will manage this institution, they must be first-class gosvāmīs. This is my proposition. Not gṛhamedhi. Not gṛhamedhi. Gosvāmī. As...

Because this place was excavated by the gosvāmīs, ṣaḍ-gosvāmī. Sanātana Gosvāmī came here, Rūpa Gosvāmī came here. And then other Gosvāmīs, Jīva Gosvāmī, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, all joined together for executing the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu—to write books about Kṛṣṇa, His pastimes, His līlā; very, I mean to say, highly spiritual understanding books they wrote. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. This is the business of the Gosvāmīs, the symptoms. The first symptom is, kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. They were always busy-Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana means... Just like we perform kīrtana with khol, karatāla, this is also kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. And to write books, that is also kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. And to read books, that is also kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. Not that simply this kīrtana is kīrtana. If you write books about Kṛṣṇa, if you read books about Kṛṣṇa, if you talk about Kṛṣṇa, you think of Kṛṣṇa, you worship Kṛṣṇa, you cook for Kṛṣṇa, you eat for Kṛṣṇa—so that is kṛṣṇa-kīrtana.

Therefore gosvāmī means twenty-four hours engaged in kṛṣṇa-kīrtana, in this way or that way. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. How? Premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī. Because they were merged into the ocean of kṛṣṇa-prema. Unless we have got kṛṣṇa-prema, love for Kṛṣṇa, how we can remain satisfied simply in the business of Kṛṣṇa? That is not possible. Those who have not developed love for Kṛṣṇa, they cannot be engaged twenty-four hours in the business of Kṛṣṇa. We should consider that... We should save time always to be absorbed in Kṛṣṇa business. The period we sleep, that is wasted. That is wasted. So we shall try to save time. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). Hari is another name of Kṛṣṇa. Sadā, twenty-four hours. Actually, the Gosvāmīs used to do. They are our examples. They were sleeping not more that two hours or utmost, three hours. So nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **. They conquered over. This is gosvāmī. They conquered over these things. What is that? Nidrāhāra, nidrā, āhāra, vihāra. Vihāra means sense enjoyment, and āhāra means eating or collecting. Generally eating, āhāra. And nidrā. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. Conquered. That is Vaiṣṇava. Not that out of twenty-four hours, thirty-six hours sleeping. (laughter) And at the same time, passing on as gosvāmī. What is this go...? Go-dāsa. They are go-dāsa. Go means senses, and dāsa means servant.

So our policy should be, instead of becoming servant of the senses, we have to become servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is gosvāmī. Because unless you conquer over, senses will always ask you, "Please eat, please sleep, please have sexual intercourse. Please have this, please have this." This is material life. This is material life, subjected to the dictation of the senses. That is material life. And one has to become... (sic:) Go-dāsa means the mind is dictating, "Please eat more, please sleep more, please have sexual more, please have defense fund more..." So this is materialism. Defense fund means to keep money. That is defense fund. So... So this is materialism. The spiritualism means, "No, that is no." Nidrāhāra. The senses dictating, "Do this, do that, do that," and you have to become so strong that you'll rightly reply, "No, this is not." Then gosvāmī. This is gosvāmī. And that gṛhamedhi, gṛhastha-appearing like the same. But gṛhastha means no dictation of the sense. Then you become gosvāmī. Then, as Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, gṛhe vā banete thāke hā gaurāṅga bole ḍāke. Hā gaurāṅga, "Always chanting Nitāi-Gaura, and thinking of Nitāi-Gaura," such person, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says... Gṛhe vā... "He may be a sannyāsī, or he may be a gṛhastha. It doesn't matter. Because he is absorbed in the thought of Nitāi-Gaura." So narottama māge tāṅra saṅga: "Narottama is always desiring to associate with such person." Gṛhe vā banete thāke, hā gaurāṅga bole ḍāke, narottama māge tāṅra saṅga. Narottama is always desiring the society of such person. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau.

And gosvāmī has to become very dear to all classes of men. There are two classes of men: dhīra and adhīra. Dhīra means one who has controlled the senses, and adhīra means one who could not. Gosvāmīs are very kind to all classes of men. Dhīradhīra-jana-priyau. So how you can...? How the gosvāmī can be...? When six Gosvāmīs were here in Vṛndāvana, they were so popular to the whole people. Even in this Vṛndāvana dhāma, the village people, if they had some quarrel with husband and wife, they would to go Sanātana Gosvāmī, "Sir, there is some disagreement between us. You settle up." And Sanātana Gosvāmī will give his judgment, "You are wrong." That's all. They will admit. Just see how the popular they were. Sanātana Gosvāmī would give decision among their family quarrel also. So dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau. These ordinary men, they were not saintly persons, but they were devoted to Sanātana Gosvāmī. Therefore their life was successful. Because they would abide by the orders of Sanātana Gosvāmī, therefore they were also liberated. They may be personally wrong, but they abided by the Sanātana Gosvāmī. And Sanātana Gosvāmī was kind to them. This is the Gosvāmī. Dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau.

So you can become dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau. Adhīra, those who are ordinary men, you can also call them, give them prasādam, treat them very nicely: "Just hear Hare Kṛṣṇa. You come here. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Take prasāda." They'll be your..., under your control. They'll be under your control. And as soon as they become under your control, they make advance. Immediately. Because under the Vaiṣṇava, if he agrees to abide by, he becomes... That is called ajñāta-sukṛti. Because he offers you... Just like when we walk, they say, "Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya Rādhe." That is the method of offering respect. So if these ordinary people offer respect to the Vaiṣṇava, they become advanced. So you must be Vaiṣṇava. Otherwise why they will offer you respect? Respect cannot be demanded. It must be commanded. By seeing you, they will give you respect. Then dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau. This is gosvāmī.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda.