Kṛṣṇa is with you. As soon as you decide, "Now, Kṛṣṇa, I want You. Kindly help me," He's ready to help you. Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja. Yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau (ŚU 6.23). These are the definition given in the Vedic literature.
So Rūpa Gosvāmī is giving us direction how to come to the bhāva stage. Ādau śraddhā. First of all, first thing is śraddhā. Śraddhā means faith, firm faith. Śraddhā has been explained by Caitanya-caritāmṛta-kar:
- śraddhā'-śabde—viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya
- kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya
- (CC Madhya 22.62)
This is called śraddhā. One when believes firmly as Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), one, if he is firmly fixed-up, "Yes, by surrendering to Kṛṣṇa I get all perfection of life," that is called śraddhā. That is called śraddhā. That is explained by Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Śraddhā-śabde viśvāsa sudṛḍha niścaya (CC Madhya 22.62). If I have got intention, "Why not this? Why not that? Why not this? Why not that?" then that is not śraddhā even. That is not śraddhā. Śraddhā means firm conviction. So śraddhā-śabde . . . so ādau śraddhā.
Then next stage is, tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ. If you have got śraddhā, "Yes, I want Kṛṣṇa in this life. I must do anything required," then that determination is called śraddhā. Then if you want to develop that determination, then you should associate with sādhu. Who is sādhu? Sādhu . . . bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. That is sādhu. Api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk (BG 9.30). It doesn't matter if he has got some bodily faults. He's accustomed in a different atmosphere. Even though he has got some habituated faults, but if his only qualification is firmly fixed up in devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, he's sādhu. Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ (BG 9.30). Kṛṣṇa says. Sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ. Sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ. Titikṣava. Sādhu is titikṣava. He has to tolerate so many things, criticism, opposing elements. Because sādhu cannot sit down idly. Bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. He is engaged fully in Kṛṣṇa's service.
So Kṛṣṇa's service is not sitting idly. Kṛṣṇa wants to spread the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā everywhere. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.
- ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ
- mad-bhakteṣv abhidāsyati
- (BG 18.68)
- na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu
- kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ
- (BG 18.69)
And Kṛṣṇa, as devotee, He orders:
- pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma
- sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma
- (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126)
- bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra
- janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
- (CC Adi 9.41)
This is service. Especially it is ordered to the Indians, the inhabitants of the Bhārata-varṣa. Because in Bhārata-varṣa it is easier to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Because by nature, because they have taken birth in this land of Bhārata-varṣa, in the blood there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But unfortunately, the leaders are inducing them to forget Kṛṣṇa. This is the misfortune of present-day Bhārata-varṣa. You go to the village, and if there is bhāgavata-pāṭha, hundreds and thousands of people will gather immediately. Immediately. Not only in the village; in the town, when we held Kṛṣṇa festival in Bombay, Calcutta, twenty thousand, thirty thousand people come. By nature. We cannot expect this big assembly in other countries. That is my experience. But India, because it is Bhārata-varṣa, it is very easy.
But we are sacrificing this birthright, Bhārata-varṣa. Oh, we are misled in such a way that we are forgetting, trying to forget Kṛṣṇa, "Throw away these śāstras. Throw away these . . . throw away. And put all impediments to the Kṛṣṇa conscious movement." This is our misfortune. Actually, every Indian is Kṛṣṇa conscious. Sometimes they ask me in foreign countries that, "How many Kṛṣṇa conscious people are there in India?" And cent percent, all, even Muhammadans, what to speak of the Hindus.
So we should take this opportunity, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ (CC Madhya 23.14-15). This association, society, of sādhu, who have dedicated their life for understanding Kṛṣṇa, for serving Kṛṣṇa, they are sādhu. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu . . . tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo 'tha bhajana-kriyā. By sādhu-saṅga means next stage is how to adopt devotional life. These boys, these girls, gradually they came. First of all they were hearing; then they came forward, "Please make me your disciple." That means, "Under your direction my bhajana-kriyā will go." This is called bhajana-kriyā, under the direction of the spiritual master.
Then anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. Anartha means things which are not wanted. We are accustomed to so many things, rascal things, which is not at all wanted. But we have been accustomed, by bad association. Take, for example, one smokes. Nobody learns smoking from the birth. By bad association one learns how to smoke. Similarly drinking, similarly meat-eating. Because from the birth we require milk, not meat-eating. But then after all we understand that, "Beef is very nice. There must be a beef shop," and . . . this is going on. You see? These are anarthas, not required. You require simple food - rice, wheat, little milk, vegetable and little sugar. That's all. You don't require all these nonsense. But you have been habituated.
But if we become bhajana-kriyā—you come to the practice of devotional service—naturally you have to give up. Because we accept a disciple to engage in the bhajana-kriyā, first of all he must give up these anarthas. So these anarthas, one cannot giving up smoking or drinking, but actually, if he takes to devotional service, he can very easily give up. He can very easily give up. There are so many examples. It is not story. So if there is bhajana-kriyā sincerely, then the anartha-nivṛtti automatically becomes. Then you become clean. Here it is said, jñāna-tapasā pūtāḥ, purified. Jñāna-tapasā. Knowledge is there that, "I am a spirit soul. I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme. Therefore my business is to serve Kṛṣṇa." This is jñāna. And if one does not know this, he is rascal. That's all. No jñāna. This is jñāna. Therefore it is confirmed by Kṛṣṇa: bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). Jñāna means he must surrender to Kṛṣṇa. That is jñāna. And so long one does not reach to this point, surrender to Kṛṣṇa, he's a rascal. That's all. Mūḍha. Na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhāḥ, duṣkṛtino narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). That is his qualification. One who has not surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, then he is duṣkṛtinaḥ, mūḍhāḥ, narādhamāḥ . . . "No, no. He's M.A., Ph.D." Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ. His knowledge has no value. Useless. Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ. Śrama eva hi kevalam. That is the verdict of the śāstra.