If I aspire to see Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa does not come, naturally I become sorry, brokenhearted. But even one is brokenhearted, still, he should not stop devotional service. Not that "I have served Kṛṣṇa for so many days, or so many years, and Kṛṣṇa did not come. Oh, what is the use of it?" No, not like that. One should be confident that . . .
Just like Mukunda. Mukunda, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's class friend and devotee, so he was attending many jñānī, karmī, yogī . . . he was going everywhere. Caitanya Mahāprabhu became very much displeased, just to show example that we should not be hodgepodge: "This is also good, this is also good. Everything is same." No. This is hodgepodge. One must be fixed up in devotional service. That is wanted. So when Mukunda was going here and there, Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave him the name khaḍajāṭhiyā beṭā. So He stopped him, that "He should not come before Me. Stop him." So nobody can induce . . . Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very soft, kusumād api, softer than the flower, but harder than the thunderbolt. When He used to be very hard, then, then He become thunderbolt. Nobody can induce Him. But naturally, He is very soft-hearted.
So Mukunda was standing outside in every day's meeting, and he was asking other devotees, "I'll not be able to see Lord Caitanya anymore?" So they asked Caitanya Mahāprabhu that, "You have forbidden Mukunda to come before You, but he's asking only if there will be any opportunity in the future to see You." Caitanya Mahāprabhu said: "Yes, after three hundred millions of years he can see Me." So the devotees informed Mukunda, "Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that after three hundred millions of years, He'll be able to see you." He began to dance: "Oh, that's nice. That's nice."
Āśā-bandhaḥ samutkaṇṭhā nāma-gāne sadā ruciḥ (CC Madhya 23.18-19). This is the sign of pure, advanced devotee. He's never disappointed. Ahaitukī. There is no motive. "My Lord is there. My duty is to serve." That's all. "Whether I shall be benefited, whether my senses will be satisfied, gratified," these are conditions. These are not pure devotion. Don't make any condition. Unconditional. That is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Without any motive, without any condition, when we love Kṛṣṇa, that is first-class religion. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. Para and apara. Apara means "inferior," and para means "superior." Just like there are two energies of Kṛṣṇa: para and apara, inferior and superior. So paro dharmaḥ means superior, the occupational duty in superior energy.
Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Daivīṁ prakṛtim. Mahātmā, one who is broad-minded, or greater souls, they are under the control of daivī-prakṛti. Daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ. And what is the symptom? Bhajanty ananya-manasaḥ: they have no other motive than to render service to the Lord. That's all. This is the symptom of mahātmā. No motive, no gain, no exchange. Simply to serve the Lord. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Any kind of desire, even liberation. No. But if one is pure devotee, liberation will be at his door. He . . . what he has got to ask for liberation? He's already liberated. He hasn't got to ask for liberation. This is explained by Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura: muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate asmān. If one is pure devotee, then liberty . . . yes, liberation is standing before the devotee with folded hands: "My dear sir, what can I do for you?" That is the position.
- muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate asmān
- dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣa samaya-pratīkṣāḥ
- (Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta 107)
And people are very much busy for religiosity, dharma; artha, economic development; kāma, sense gratification; and . . . dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa, liberation. People are generally, human society, there must be religious system. And they take to religious . . . generally, people take to religious system for some material gain. Generally. Ārto arthārthī jijñāsur jñānī. Those who are distressed, those who are in need of money, they go to temple, worship the Lord. They're also pious. Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtinaḥ (BG 7.16). They're pious.
So . . . but that is not pure devotion. Pure devotion is described here, that sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. That is first class. Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. You can adopt any means. There are different kinds of religious system all over the world. You can become Hindu, you can become Muslim, you can become Christian, you can become something else. But the test is how much you have learned to love God. That's it. Not that "I am Hindu. I have got such a big tuft and so much tilaka, and I take bath daily in the Yamunā, Ganges. I am strictly vegetarian," and so on, so on, so on. But the result? "I am simply attached to my family." That's all.