Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Can Kṛṣṇa give us the ability to someday remember every word that you are saying to us now? Because I myself, I forget so much. I want to hear just how you are talking and I can't.
Prabhupāda: What is that? I don't follow.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I want to be able to hear you saying exactly what you're saying now. I want to always be able to hear it, but I forget. My memory is very poor.
Prabhupāda: Why? No. If we try... Memory may be poor. Everything depends on cultivation. If you cultivate something, your memory increases. Everyone becomes expert not in one day but by cultivation. Similarly, if you try to remember, then your memory will help you to remember. It is not difficult. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, that we have to try to remember Kṛṣṇa. He's so beautiful, His instructions are so nice. If we simply remember Kṛṣṇa... That was the perfection approved by Lord Caitanya. I think I have narrated the story. When Lord Caitanya was traveling in South India in a big temple, Raṅganātha temple, He went to see the Deity, and He saw one brāhmaṇa was reading Bhagavad-gītā. And people were joking him, "Oh, Mr. brāhmaṇa, how you are reading Bhagavad-gītā?" Because they were the neighbors, they knew that this brāhmaṇa was illiterate and he was studying Bhagavad-gītā. So they were joking. But the brāhmaṇa did not care them. He was taking the book and in his own way he was reading. Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw this incident, He came to the brāhmaṇa. So He asked the brāhmaṇa, "My dear brāhmaṇa, what you are reading?" So he could understand "This persons is not joking with me; He is serious." So he explained, "My dear sir, I am reading Bhagavad-gītā. Unfortunately, I am illiterate. I do not know even the alphabets." "Why you are reading Bhagavad-gītā?" So he said that, "My spiritual master knows that I am illiterate, but still, he has asked me to read Bhagavad-gītā. What can I do? Therefore I have taken this book. I am seeing simply. I do not know how to read." "Oh, that's all right. You cannot read. But I see that you are crying. How you are crying if you are not reading?" "Yes, I am crying. Of course, there is cause." "What is that?" "As soon as I take this Bhagavad-gītā, I remember Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is sitting as driver and Arjuna is hearing. I have heard the story. I know something of the instruction but cannot read. So as soon as I take this book, this picture comes before me and I simply think, 'Oh, how Kṛṣṇa is nice that He has become a charioteer of His devotee. He is so great. Still, He has accepted a menial service of His devotee.' This gives me so much pleasure that I cry." Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced him, "Your Bhagavad-gītā reading is perfect. You have taken the essence." So this is the thing. If you simply remember Kṛṣṇa is teaching Arjuna and Arjuna is hearing, if you simply remember the picture, that is sufficient. Even if you think that you cannot read. Because after all we have to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. We haven't got to become a learned man to argue with another learned man. If it is possible we can do that, but that does not make any difference if I cannot argue with others or if I cannot teach very nicely Bhagavad-gītā to others. Simply if I remember this picture, that is perfection. Because we have to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. We have to simply think of Kṛṣṇa. You think in any way. That is your perfection. Smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇuḥ. This is the injunction. You have to think of Viṣṇu always. This is samādhi; this is meditation; this is yoga siddhi, perfection of yoga.
So one who has learned to think of Kṛṣṇa always, he is already on the perfectional stage. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim (Nārada-pañcarātra). If one has come to this stage, just to understand Kṛṣṇa the great, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and he's surrendered soul, "Kṛṣṇa, whatever You like You do. I am surrendered."... This is ārādhana. Then he doesn't require to undergo any austerities or penance. His everything is finished. And nārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim. And if he does not come to this stage, his so-called scholarship, learned argument, this or that—all nonsense, finished. Useless. One has to come to this stage. Therefore Lord Caitanya embraced the brāhmaṇa, "Yes, your study of Bhagavad-gītā is perfect." Because one has to come to this stage, thinking of Kṛṣṇa always. So if one does not come to this stage, simply by academic education, he says "It should be like this. The interpretation should be like this," he's simply wasting time. Frog philosopher. One has to come to this stage. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim, nārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim (Nārada-pañcarātra). So that is the perfection. Kṛṣṇa and gopīs. They were cowherds girl. Their father, mother, they were only ordinary village men, keeping cows. That's all. What was their education? They were not Vedantists. But they learned to love Kṛṣṇa. That was their qualification. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu certifies, ramyad upāsanā vraja-vadhu-vargeṇa va kalpita. "Oh, there is no better worship than that which was contemplated by the gopīs." Because they did not know what is Kṛṣṇa but they loved Kṛṣṇa. That's all. They loved Kṛṣṇa, that because Kṛṣṇa was God or Kṛṣṇa was something great? No. Their natural affection was for Kṛṣṇa. They could not stay even for a moment without seeing Kṛṣṇa. That was their qualification. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Boy: How come a lotus flower is so great?
Prabhupāda: He will explain, he will explain. So, one has to come to perfect Kṛṣṇa consciousness some way or other. That is perfection. That is everything. If one always thinks of Kṛṣṇa, then he is perfect. We should not forget. We have presented so many formulas. Why? Not the formulas are important, but the formulas will help me to remember Kṛṣṇa always. Just like you are going to sell our magazines. So this magazine selling or taking some contribution is not our business. Our business is that we are spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, people are hearing something about Kṛṣṇa. And because we are helping, we are also hearing. We are also benefiting. When you speak somebody about Kṛṣṇa, then I hear also Kṛṣṇa. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23). The first preliminary steps, hearing and chanting, is going on. So in this way we shall take all opportunities so that twenty-four hours, whether awakened or sleeping, we shall always think of Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection. This chanting means always remembering Kṛṣṇa—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma. Cooking, I am cooking for Kṛṣṇa, I am typing for Kṛṣṇa, I am going to preach for Kṛṣṇa, I'm distributing Back to Godhead for Kṛṣṇa. In this way (laughs) always remember Kṛṣṇa, that's all. That will make you perfect. Yes?
Devotee: Did Kṛṣṇa have children by the gopīs?
Prabhupāda: No. Kṛṣṇa's love was not this love, sex love. That was different thing. Yes?
Viṣṇujana: When we're engaged in spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness by this singing or selling Back to Godheads or speaking with people, if through our senses, like seeing or hearing or touching and smelling, our mind gets distracted even while we're engaged in selling Back to Godhead, then how can we always, how can we always return to that point of remembering even though our senses are being dragged by billboard signs and so many...
Prabhupāda: No, suppose you are selling Back to Godhead. Does it not remind you (of) Kṛṣṇa? Does it not remind you about Kṛṣṇa? What for you are selling Back to Godhead? You could sell another popular magazine which could sell very nicely, quickly, thousands of copies. Why you have taken this Back to Godhead? For Kṛṣṇa. You are not for business, you are not ordinary, I mean to say, newspaper seller. Why you have taken Back to Godhead? Your motive is that people may know about Kṛṣṇa. That is your motive. If magazine selling is your business, you can take any other sense gratificatory magazine. There are so many. And you can sell, you can make some profit. So we have to mold our life in such a way that we shall always remember Kṛṣṇa. Therefore remembering Kṛṣṇa is my primary business. And we have to act in such a way that we may not forget Kṛṣṇa. That should be the principle. That is the secret. Therefore it is equally good for anyone because we can engage anyone in the business of Kṛṣṇa. If somebody has no, I mean to say, knowledge, he can simply sweep over the floor of Kṛṣṇa's temple. That will make him remembering Kṛṣṇa, that "I am cleansing the floor of Kṛṣṇa's temple." He's as good as the editor of Back to Godhead. Yes?