When one reaches the highest stage of perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he has no more any distinction, and he thinks everyone as sādhu, as devotee. He thinks himself that, "I am the worst." He thinks anyone, "Oh, everyone is serving the Supreme Lord. They are engaged in the service of the Lord. Simply I am so fool that I cannot engage myself." He simply laments himself. That is the highest stage. He sees, "Everyone is engaged in the loving service of God, but simply I am unable to serve God. So kindly . . ." he prays to God, "My dear Lord, please give me strength so that I can serve." This is the first-quality stage.
Evaṁ nirjita-ṣaḍ-vargaiḥ kriyate bhaktir īśvare. These are the process of devotional service, when the senses are completely under control. This highest stage means, even in the first stage, second stage, the senses are controlled.
- evaṁ nirjita-ṣaḍ-vargaiḥ
- kriyate bhaktir īśvare
- vāsudeve bhagavati
- yayā saṁlabhyate ratiḥ
- (SB 7.7.33)
"If anyone prosecutes his devotional service in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master, then gradually he develops ratiḥ." Ratiḥ means affection, affinity, attachment for the Lord. Now we have got attachment for the matter. So as we make progress, we gradually become freed from material attachment and come to the platform, complete attachment for God.
So attachment, that is my natural instinct. I cannot be free from attachment. I shall be either attached to this matter or I shall be attached to spirit. If I am not attached to spirit, then I must be attached to matter. And if I am attached to spirit, then my material attachment is gone. This is the process.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja says: "In this process, if a person advances in his spiritual consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then vāsudeve bhagavati . . ." The Vāsudeva means Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudeve bhagavati: the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Yayā saṁlabhyate ratiḥ: "He becomes automatically attached."
And so long we are not attached to Vāsudeva, then our attachment for this matter will oblige me to transfer or transmigrate from one body to another, and I'll have to circambulate in the 8,400,000 species of life, lower grade, higher grade. That will continue. Therefore this is the opportunity, this human life, to become a devotee of Vāsudeva, or to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Now, when one becomes fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or a devotee of Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, his characters are described:
- niśamya karmāṇi guṇān atulyān
- vīryāṇi līlā-tanubhiḥ kṛtāni
- yadātiharṣotpulakāśru-gadgadaṁ
- protkaṇṭha udgāyati rauti nṛtyati
- (SB 7.7.34)
(pause) Bhagavat, bhagavad-rati liṅgāny āhuḥ. Now, a person, how he is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his symptoms are now being described. Bhagavad-rati-liṅgāni āhur niśamyeti guṇāni bhakta-vatsaladi. Now, he says: niśamya karmāṇi guṇān atulyān vīryāṇi līlā-tanubhiḥ kṛtāni. This incarnation of . . . in the Bhagavad-gītā, you have learned that the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, says that yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). Whenever there is discrepancy in the discharge of religious principles, then there is incarnation of God. Whenever there is. Because this is . . . everything, God is the supreme proprietor. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (Īśo mantra 1).
Now, the kingdom of God is everywhere, but this material world is also kingdom of God, but here the people are, 99.9%, they are forgetful. They have forgotten God. Therefore in this material world there are religious principles. In every civilized society there is some form of religion, without any exception.
Either you be Christian or be Muhammadan or be Buddhist or Hindu, that doesn't matter, because the whole idea is this is the process. Human civilization, to make progress means self-realization. So as soon as there is discrepancy in the matter of self-realization—they become too much materialistic—then the incarnation of Godhead comes and He instructs.
Just like Lord Kṛṣṇa came in five thousand years before, and He has left His instruction. So why? Because we shall get the opportunity of hearing His activities. By hearing His activities means we shall be associating Him, because His activities, because He is Absolute, there is no difference between He and His activities. There is no difference.
So here, niśamya karmāṇi guṇān atulyāni. So just like you are kindly hearing the description given by Prahlāda Mahārāja. So this is the process. So when one becomes highly elevated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, so as soon as he hears Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavata or Bible—anything description of Kṛṣṇa or God—then atiharṣotpula kāśru-gadgadaṁ protkaṇṭha udgāyati rauti nṛtyati: as soon as he hears, he becomes so much ecstatic that immediately he begins to dance and sing and becomes very happy. As soon as he hears.
Just like somebody hears that in some business he has earned ten millions of dollars. He becomes so much, I mean to say, enthusiastic: "Oh, I have got this," and dances and like that. This is, of course, material conception. Similarly, when one has actually in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in developed position, his symptom will be that as soon as he hears of Kṛṣṇa, or God, he becomes immediately ecstatic and begins to dance and cry and sing just like a madman.
So this stage . . . we have several times cited the example, that reading of Bhagavad-gītā . . . when Lord Caitanya was traveling in South India, He saw one brahmin, he was reading Bhagavad-gītā, but he was illiterate. But he was crying. So on inquiry from Caitanya Mahāprabhu what he is reading, he frankly admitted that, "I am illiterate. I do not know even the letters. But my Guru Mahārāja asked me to read Bhagavad-gītā daily, so I am trying to read it. But I cannot read it."
Then Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired, "Then why you are crying?" He replied: "Yes, I get an ecstatic sentiment. As soon I touch this book, I see the picture, that Kṛṣṇa is driving the chariot, and Arjuna is sitting, and He is instructing. So Kṛṣṇa is so kind, Kṛṣṇa is so faithful to His devotee that He has taken the menial execution of service to His devotee. This feelings, whenever I feel, I am crying."
This is the stage. This is the stage, when one becomes too much, I mean to say, glorifying about the wonderful acts. This is very wonderful act. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the greatest—God is great—but He has taken the service of a devotee as a menial driver. So this feeling gave him in ecstasy. This is a sign. It is not artificial. Tad guṇa-sūnavan, er, śruti-mātreṇa (SB 3.29.11). Just like if you place . . . if you pour some water on the ground, you will see where there is down level, it will at once go to that side. Without any arrangement, you simply pour the water and it will go down where the level is down, just like the rivers are flowing to the sea level. Similarly, a highly developed Kṛṣṇa conscious person, at once he will hear about something of Kṛṣṇa, he will be in ecstasy.