Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). In the animal life, or other than human life, we had worked so much only for morsel of food—day and night, working. But still the food is there. Simply avidyā-karma-saṁjñānyā tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate (CC Madhya 6.154). Avidyā. This material world is full of ignorance. So therefore our endeavor should be how to come out of this ignorance. Tasyaiva hetoḥ. For that reason, we should work only—how to come out of this ignorance that, "I am this material body. I have to work day and night, and then I shall get my food, then I shall live." This is ignorance. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayate . . .
So this ignorance, this life of ignorance we have passed in the, I mean to say, the forms other than the human being—animal life, bird's life, beast's life. Now this life should be peaceful, calm and quiet. And jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā, simply for inquiring about the Absolute Truth. That should be the business. Simply. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Simply sit down, just like we are sit down. We are sitting down and inquiring about Kṛṣṇa. This is life. This is life. And what is this life? Working day and night like the ass? No. That is not life.
Therefore Bhāgavata says your life should be engaged for this purpose: tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. Kovida means intelligent. Then, "How my economic problems will be solved?" The answer is, tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukham. You are after happiness. Are you after distress? "No, sir." Why distress comes upon you? You are not anxious for distress, calamities. Why do they come upon you? Similarly, so far your happiness is also concerned, that will also come upon you. Because your life, according to your karma, is mixed up with some portion of happiness, some portion of distress. If the distress comes without any invitation, the happiness also will come without invitation, without any endeavor. Because you are destined already that so much happiness, so much distress you will have. Destined.
So you cannot change it. Try to change your lord, this material condition of life. That is your only business. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ . . . Bhramatām upary adhaḥ. You have tried. Bhramatām upary adh . . . upari means higher planetary systems. Sometimes we get our birth in higher planetary system as demigods, and sometimes, adhaḥ, as animals, as cats and dogs, as germ of the stool. This is going on. This is going on according to our karma. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said: ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). Only a fortunate living entity gets this opportunity of association of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's devotee. Then his life becomes sublime.
- ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
- guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
- (CC Madhya 19.151)
This bhakti-latā-bīja, the seed of devotional service, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.
So Kuntīdevī is pointing out that, "Who is the person, alakṣya, invisible?" Here: Kṛṣṇa. "Kṛṣṇa? There are so many Kṛṣṇas." Vāsudevāya, the son of Vasudeva. "There are many Vāsudevas." No, nanda-gopa-nadanāya (SB 1.8.21), the foster son of Mahārāja Nanda. Three times she's pointing: "Here is Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa, who officially takes His birth as son of Devakī and Vasudeva, but He enjoys the company of Mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja—the childhood company. This is Kṛṣṇa's pastimes.
So ānanda-līlāmaya-vigrahaya. Ānanda-līlā, Kṛṣṇa's līlā, pastimes, are all jubilant. Ānanda-līlāmaya. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He is by nature ānandamaya. Kṛṣṇa, you'll never find Kṛṣṇa is very unhappy. Kṛṣṇa is never unhappy. Kṛṣṇa is always happy. Therefore, nanda-gopa-kumārāya govindāya (SB 1.8.21). He is happy, and whoever . . . whoever associates with Him, he's also happy. Govindāya. We are after sense gratification. Go means senses. So if you associate with Kṛṣṇa, you enjoy your senses affluently. Just like the gopīs are dancing with Kṛṣṇa.
So there is no scarcity of sense gratification also. But that is not this sense gra . . . gross sense gratification. That is spiritual sense. That is spiritual sense. Ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya (Bs. 5.32). We chant every day. That sense, you get, sense gratification is ānanda-cinmaya, cinmaya, in the spiritual world, not this third-class ānanda, with these bodily senses. This is not ānanda, this is an illusion. This is illusion. We are thinking that, "I'm enjoying," but that is not ānanda. This ānanda is not fact, because we cannot enjoy this material sense pleasure for long. Everyone has got experience. It is finished. It is finished. But spiritual enjoyment does not finish. It increases. That is the difference. Ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya govindam ādi-puruṣam (Bs. 5.32).
So you have to associate with Govinda. Here is, also, it is said, govindāya namo namaḥ: "I offer my respectful obeisances to Govinda." So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice—you become directly in contact with Govinda. This Deity worship is also directly in contact with Govinda.
Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau. This vigraha, the Deity of Kṛṣṇa, that is also Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Because Kṛṣṇa is alakṣya, invisible, He has become visible for your facility, as you can see. Still . . . it is not that Kṛṣṇa is stone or Kṛṣṇa is wood or Kṛṣṇa is metal. Kṛṣṇa is always Kṛṣṇa, but He appears . . . because you cannot see except wood, stone and metal, He appears like that, wood, stone or metal. But He's not wood, stone or metal.
You'll get the same facility as Kṛṣṇa personally if you associate . . . when you associate. You will associate with Kṛṣṇa. But at the present moment, because Kṛṣṇa is invisible, therefore He has very kindly taken a form which is visible by you. This is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Do not think, "Oh, here is Kṛṣṇa, stone Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa is everything. Kṛṣṇa is everything. So Kṛṣṇa is stone also. Kṛṣṇa is stone also, but He's not that stone that cannot act. Kṛṣṇa act also in the stone form also. Kṛṣṇa act also in metal form also. And you will perceive that. Svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. The more you give service, the so-called stone also speak with you. There are many instances like that.
So we should take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement according to the śāstra. Śrī . . . I am very pleased that you are doing nicely, dressing the Deity very nicely. More and more, in this way offer Kṛṣṇa nice prasādam, nice foodstuff, nice dress. Keep the temple very clean.
Śrī-mandira-mārjanādiṣu. Mārjana means cleansing. Either you dress Kṛṣṇa or cleanse the temple, the effect is the same. Don't think that, "I am a cleanser and he is a dresser." No. The dresser and the cleanser are the same. Kṛṣṇa is Absolute. In any way, be engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. Your life will be successful. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
So by the grace of Kuntīdevī we can understand that Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. Vāsudeva . . . another meaning of vāsudeva is that when you come to the platform of vasudeva . . . sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam (SB 4.3.23). Sattvam. Sattva, goodness. First of all, you have to come to the platform of goodness. But here, in the material world, the goodness is also sometimes contaminated by other low qualities, ignorance and passion.
So by hearing about Kṛṣṇa, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ . . . (SB 1.2.17). Just like you are hearing about Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, try to hear about Kṛṣṇa always, twenty-four hours chant about Kṛṣṇa. In this way, the dirty things will be cleansed. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). Nityam. Nityam means always. Not that bhāgavata-saptāha, official. No, not like that. That is another exploitation.
In the Bhāgavata it is said, nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. Nityam means daily, twenty-four hours. Either you read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or carry out the order of your spiritual master. This is also order. Bhāgavata is spiritual master. Vaiṣṇava, he's also bhāgavata. ācāryas, bhāgavata. Grantha-bhāgavata and person, person bhāgavata. So person bhāgavata or book Bhāgavata, you always serve. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). Bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī. Then you will be fixed up. Naiṣṭhikī. Nobody can move you. Bhagavaty uttama-śloke, unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
So in this way, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should be realized by you by the process prescribed, and try to give to the people. This is the greatest welfare activities in the world, to awaken Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is, of course, practically, we can see, four or five years ago none of you were in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but it has been awakened. Now you are Kṛṣṇa conscious. So others can be awakened also. There is no difficulty. The process is the same.
So by following the footprints of devotees like Kuntī, we shall be able to understand, as she's pointing out: kṛṣṇāya vāsudevāya devakī-nandanāya ca, nanda-gopa-kumārāya (SB 1.8.21). This is Kṛṣṇa's identification. Just like we take identification of a person, "What is your father's name?" So here we're giving, presenting God with His father's name, with His mother's name, with His address. We are not impersonalists, vague idea. No. Everything complete, perfect, the identification. If you take advantage of this propagation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you are certainly benefited.
Thank you very much.