Govinda dāsī: Do you need a new sweater?
Prabhupāda: I have got many.
Govinda dāsī: Ah, never mind.
Prabhupāda: Sweater I have got many now.
Gaurasundara: One.
Govinda dāsī: One. Is it that saffron one?
Prabhupāda: I got . . . last year I got over one dozen.
Gaurasundara: But not here.
Govinda dāsī: You gave them all away.
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Govinda dāsī: You gave them all away. (laughs)
Gaurasundara: . . . (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: I distributed some in London; I distributed some here.
Govinda dāsī: (laughs)
Devotee: And in India there are still many.
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Devotee: In Bombay there are still many. There are so many clothes in Bombay from the devotees. One . . . one girl here, she was asking what she could make for you. And I suggested that she should make a sweater. And she . . . (indistinct) . . . the devotee that come in . . . come in said please . . . (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: That is nice. The spirit is nice.
Devotee: So I told one girl . . .
Prabhupāda: To do something, to serve something, that is the way of understanding Kṛṣṇa.
- sevonmukhe hi jihvādau
- svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ
- (CC Madhya 17.136)
When you have the service attitude, then Kṛṣṇa becomes pleased. Whole process is service, according to one's capacity. So it is not required in that one has to serve in this way or that way. No. The spirit should be service to the best capacity. Take, for example, I came here with a service position, that I must give some service to my Guru Mahārāja, not that I thought of success. But the spirit was that Guru Mahārāja told me I must do something, whatever I can. It may be failure; it may be success—let me try. This service spirit is the only goal. There is no other way.
You must be a servant—either you're a servant of māyā, or the senses, or Kṛṣṇa. You cannot become master. We are all servant. The so-called karmīs are servant of their senses, that's all. They're working so hard, being servant of their senses. The karmīs, they are servant of sex, that's all. That is their encouragement: they are working so hard, they will enjoy sex. That is their only solace. Is that not? What other things they have got to enjoy? The are simply suffering, simply suffering, working hard; their only satisfaction is enjoying sex. That is the center: the servant of sex. All karmīs.
Not only karmīs, everyone—all animals, all beasts, everyone—servant of sex. And the human so-called civilization, they have made arrangement: big sex interest. They are advertising sex, their theater is sex, their club is sex, their home is sex. What do they know beyond sex? So they are servant of sex. Is it not? Servant of sex, senses. Sex is the ultimate sense, but there are many other senses. Tongue is sense, ear is sense, nose is sense, eyes are sense. Eh? Then genital is sense. The sense organs, different.
So everyone is servant. Somebody is servant of Kṛṣṇa, somebody is servant of sex. If you remain servant of the senses, you are never happy. If you became servant of Kṛṣṇa . . . you have to remain servant; you cannot be master. Rather, if you serve Kṛṣṇa then you become master of your senses. That is gosvāmī. To become servant of Kṛṣṇa means master of senses. So the senses cannot now order, "You do this." "No, I am engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service." Therefore he becomes master. Then he becomes gosvāmī. Go means senses; svāmī means master. When you become master of the senses, then you're gosvāmī. And when you become servant of the senses, you are godāsa.
Now our whole process is to become servant of Kṛṣṇa so that automatically I become master of the senses. There is no separatedness. One becomes servant of the king, he gets a post, master of the citizens. Is it not? Minister, big post, secretary. He becomes servant of the king or state but becomes master of the people, governor. So if you become servant of Kṛṣṇa, you become master. Otherwise you remain servant of senses. If somebody says that, "What is the wrong to remain servant of the senses? After all, I am servant. Instead of becoming servant of Kṛṣṇa, if I remain servant of senses, what is the wrong? Tell me."
Govinda dāsī: They are never satisfied.
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Govinda dāsī: They are never satisfied.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is the . . .
Govinda dāsī: They are never . . . (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: A little service to Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is so kind and He is so much satisfied. And here, you go on serving . . . they're never satisfied. The servant of the world is said that he . . . my practical example, that I have made provisions for my wife and children so they can simply eat and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, but still they want me to become their servant. So dangerous . . . (indistinct) . . . Hmm?
Even if you keep them very nicely, still they will require your service.What does he do, what . . . (indistinct) . . . never happy. You cannot make happy, māyā's servant. But if you give little service to Kṛṣṇa, He immediately . . . (indistinct) . . . and immense profit. The māyā is so strong that you go on the best service, life long, we still we will find no satisfaction.
Therefore the service attitude is the only process to elevate oneself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And this automatically. Why these girls and these boys, why you are all trying to serve? That is natural. It is natural. Kṛṣṇa is not directly contacted, so Kṛṣṇa's representative that, that attitude, "Let me serve to the servant of Kṛṣṇa." That is good policy. And we have to accept this. We cannot deny it. The service spirit will be . . . otherwise I don't require anyone's service, by living alone. And now we are creating so many servants of Kṛṣṇa, when they offer some service, we accept . . . (indistinct)
Actually I don't require service; I can remain alone. I was doing that, (laughs) actually. But when preaching was there, the creating servant of Kṛṣṇa, then I have to accept, to encourage them, to train them. That is spiritual master's business. But the service is accepted on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, not for personal benefit. I cannot accept any service for my personal account unless I serve Kṛṣṇa. I serve Kṛṣṇa means I make you a perfect servant of Kṛṣṇa. So I have to train. That is my . . .