Prabhupāda: Yes. The self. The mind should be fixed in self. We are self, and Kṛṣṇa is also Self. So just like if you fix up your eyes on the sun, then you can see the sun and yourself also. Sometimes in dense darkness we cannot see ourself also. That you have experienced. So I cannot see my body in dense darkness. Although body is with me—I am the body or I am whatever I am—I cannot see myself. That you have got experience. So if you are in the sunshine, sunlight, then you see the sun as well as yourself. Is it not? Therefore to see the self means first of all see the Supreme Self.
The Supreme Self is Kṛṣṇa. In the Vedas it is said, Kaṭha Upaniṣad, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13).
The Supreme Self is the chief eternal of all eternals. He is the chief living being of all living beings. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to fixed up in self. To . . . the same example: if you fix up your mind in Kṛṣṇa, then you can fix up your mind in everything. The same example again—if you take care of your stomach, then you take care of all the bodily limbs. If your stomach is supplied nice, nutritious food, the stomach is cleared of all disturbances, then you keep good health. So if you pour water in the root of the tree, then you take care of all the branches, leaves, flowers, twigs, everything, automatically.
So if you take care of Kṛṣṇa, then you do the best service to all others. Automatically. These boys, they are going with kīrtana party. Because they are Kṛṣṇa conscious, it is not that they are sitting idly in this temple. They are going outside, preaching this philosophy so that others may take advantage of it.
So a Kṛṣṇa conscious person cannot sit idly. He thinks that "Such a nice philosophy of life, why it should not be distributed?" That is his mission. A yogī may be satisfied with his own elevation. He is sitting in a secluded place, practicing yoga, elevating himself to transcendental life. That is his personal concern. But a devotee is not satisfied simply elevating himself, his personal.
We offer our respect to the Vaiṣṇavas:
- vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca
- kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca
- patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo
- vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ
- (Praṇāma Prayers 9)
Vaiṣṇava is he . . . devotee is he who is very compassionate to these conditioned soul. Kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca. Kṛpā means mercy, and sindhu means ocean. A devotee is ocean of mercy. He wants to distribute the mercy.
Just like Lord Jesus Christ—he was God conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious, but he was not satisfied in himself. If he would have continued his God consciousness alone, he would not have met crucification. But no. He want to take care of others also, the others should be God conscious, others should be Kṛṣṇa conscious. He was forbidden by the king not to do that. So at the risk of his life he did it. That is the nature of devotee.
Therefore the preacher devotee is the most dearest devotee of Lord. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. They are going outside, they are preaching, they are meeting opposing elements. Sometimes they are defeated, sometimes disappointed, sometimes able to convince; there are different kinds of people. So, not that every devotee is very well equipped. There are three classes of devotees also. But that endeavor that, "I shall go and preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness," is the best service to the Lord, because they are trying in opposition to elevate people to the highest standard of self-realization.
So one who has seen, one who is in trance of self-realization, he cannot sit idly. He must come out. He . . . just like Rāmānujācārya: he declared the mantra publicly. His spiritual master said that, "This mantra . . ." Just like that Maharshi came in your country. He wanted to give some private mantra. If that mantra has any power, why it should be private? If at all the mantra has any . . . why not it should be publicly declared, so that everyone can take advantage of that mantra? That is real. It is cheating, you see?
So here is no cheating process. We say that this mahā-mantra can save you; we are distributing publicly. No . . . (indistinct) . . . free, without any charge. But people are so fools, they are not prepared to take this. They'll hanker after that mantra, after Maharshi: pay thirty-five dollars and take some private mantra. You see? So people want to be cheated. And here, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, these people are preaching without any charge, declaring in the street, park, everywhere, "Come on, take it." "Oh, this is not good." This is māyā. This is called illusion. This is spell of māyā. And if you charge something, if you bluff, if you cheat, oh, people will follow.
Sacha bole to mare lathha jhuta jagat ghurai dhanna kali-yuga dukh lalge has pai. This is a Hindi verse by one devotee, that this Kali-yuga is so abominable that if you speak truth, then people will come with some rod to beat you. But if you cheat them, bluff them, they'll be bewildered; they'll like it. If I say: "I'm God," people will say: "Oh, here is Swāmījī, God." They won't inquire that, "How you have become God? What is the symptom of God? Have you got all the symptoms?" Nobody inquires.
So these things happen, unless one is not fixed up in the self, unless one does not understand what is real self, unless one does not understand what is Superself. So yoga means to understand this self-realizing process. That is yoga.