"About the confidential service of Ujjvala, this statement is to be found, addressed by Rādhārāṇī to one of Her friends: "My dear friend, it is impossible for Me to keep My prestige! I wanted to avoid talking to Kṛṣṇa anymore—but just see! There again is His friend Ujjvala, coming to Me with his canvassing work. His entreaties are so powerful that it is very difficult for a gopī to resist her love for Kṛṣṇa, even though she may be very bashful, devoted to her family duties and most faithful to her husband."
Krsna is canvassing...
Expressions researched:
"Krsna"
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Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 3
By the influence of māyā the conditioned soul becomes so affectionate towards his particular type of body that if he is offered, "Give up this body, and immediately you will have a king's body," he will not agree. This attachment strongly affects all conditioned living entities. Lord Kṛṣṇa is personally canvassing, "Give up everything in this material world. Come to Me, and I shall give you all protection," but we are not agreeable. We think, "We are quite all right. Why should we surrender unto Kṛṣṇa and go back to His kingdom?" This is called illusion, or māyā. Everyone is satisfied with his standard of living, however abominable it may be.
SB Canto 4
The theory of chance can best be explained in the Vedic literature by the words ajñāta-sukṛti, which refer to pious activities performed without the actor's knowledge. But these are also planned. For example, Kṛṣṇa comes like an ordinary human being, He comes as a devotee like Lord Caitanya, or He sends His representative, the spiritual master, or pure devotee. This is also the planned activity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They come to canvass and educate, and thus a person in the illusory energy of the Supreme Lord gets a chance to mix with them, talk with them and take lessons from them, and somehow or other if a conditioned soul surrenders to such personalities and by intimate association with them chances to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, he is saved from the material conditions of life.
Actually, it is Kṛṣṇa who personally advises all living entities to return home, back to Godhead. Sometimes Kṛṣṇa sends His representative, who, delivering Kṛṣṇa's very message, canvasses all living entities to return home, back to Godhead. Unfortunately the living entity is so greatly attached to material enjoyment that he does not take the instructions of Kṛṣṇa or His representative very seriously.
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Nectar of Devotion
Another important pastime of the friends of Kṛṣṇa was that they served as messengers to and from the gopīs; they introduced the gopīs to Kṛṣṇa and canvassed for Kṛṣṇa. When the gopīs were in disagreement with Kṛṣṇa, these friends would support Kṛṣṇa's side in His presence—but when Kṛṣṇa was not present, they would support the side of the gopīs. In this way, sometimes supporting one side, sometimes the other, they would talk very privately, with much whispering in the ears, although none of the business was very serious.
Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
We left our husbands, children and relatives only for Kṛṣṇa, yet He did not feel any obligation in exchange. At last He left us forlorn. Do you think we can place our faith in Him again? We know that Kṛṣṇa cannot live for a moment without the association of young women. That is His nature. He is finding difficulty in Mathurā because He is no longer in the village among innocent cowherd girls. He is in aristocratic society and must be feeling difficulty in making friendships with other young girls. Perhaps you have come here to canvass again or to take us there. But why should Kṛṣṇa expect us to go there? He is greatly qualified to entice all other girls, not only in Vṛndāvana or Mathurā but all over the universe.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
You construct everything for happiness, but there will be something which will put you into the most miserable condition. This is called material world. They do not know. Therefore one who is intelligent, he thinks that "If I have to work so hard for so-called happiness, and here is Kṛṣṇa is canvassing, asking me, that 'You work for Me,' so why not work for Kṛṣṇa? Here I see viparītāni, everything is opposite. There is no happiness." So that is intelligence. "I have to work hard. Kṛṣṇa says, 'Just surrender unto Me.' " Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). So Kṛṣṇa is asking to work for Him, giving up everything. That is clear, everyone knows. "Here also I am working very hard, but here I am working hard to be happy, but the viparītāni, I am becoming unhappy. So why not work for Kṛṣṇa?" This is intelligence.
We must admit that we have created hellish condition of society by producing unwanted children, and disobeying the jāti-dharma or kula-dharma. That one has to admit, everyone. So what is the remedy? Only remedy is to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is canvassing that: "Even you can give up your jāti-dharma, but simply surrender unto Me. I shall give you protection."
So Kṛṣṇa is suhṛt. He's always expecting my good. How I shall be good. Therefore He is canvassing me: "Please, you surrender unto Me." Just like father says, "My dear boy, why you are acting independently? Foolishly you are suffering. Just surrender unto me. I shall give you, I shall give you protection."
So this is sanātana. Kṛṣṇa is sanātana, and His dealing with His devotees, that is also sanātana. And these are possible not here, but in the sanātana-dhāma. We cannot have sanātana dealings with Kṛṣṇa within this material world. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes to canvass the conditioned souls that "For eternal happiness, for eternal dealings, you come to Me in My eternal place." Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). Why not in this material world? No. The material world, the nature is it is not permanent. It is temporary.
So we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, we are suffering, but because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa comes to canvass that "Why you are suffering? You just surrender unto Me. I'll give you all protection." No, they'll not take. They'll not take. Therefore, when one is trained up to, how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, that is called devotional service, practice, practicing. And when, actually, one is very sincere to serve Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa is within everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). So He can understand whether you are sincerely serving or with some motive you are serving. Even with a motive you serve Kṛṣṇa, it will never go in vain. Kṛṣṇa is so kind.
We have, by chance, fallen into this material contamination and we have made our relationship with so many material things, so that we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. Now, the whole process is to revive our consciousness to Kṛṣṇa. For that purpose, Kṛṣṇa comes Himself or Kṛṣṇa keeps this Bhagavad-gītā for you or Kṛṣṇa sends His confidential devotees to you, to canvass you, "Come to the point and be happy." That is the whole process. So ātma-rati, ātma-rati, self-satisfaction.
So our preaching, is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that people are searching after God, speculating throughout the whole life, but here Kṛṣṇa is canvassing, "Here I am." "No." Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). God is canvassing, "Here I am," and these people are searching after God. Just see. Why? That is explained here, ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā, false egoism. Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate (BG 3.27). He is fully under the control of prakṛti, and still, he is thinking independent. That is vimūḍhātmā, bewildered.
So we have to qualify ourselves. So that qualification is, here it is stated, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. If you try to surrender yourself into Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Just like Kṛṣṇa is canvassing, asking Arjuna, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam: (BG 18.66) "You just try to surrender unto Me, and I shall give you all protection." And just I described a few minutes before that Kṛṣṇa is seated along with you in the same tree of this body. He is just waiting for your voluntary looking unto Him. That's it. He does not press you. He gives you all instruction.
So our position is always like that. Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, or His bona fide representatives who come here, they can force you to go back to Godhead, but they do not do that. They want your voluntary cooperation. Unless you are prepared to cooperate voluntarily oh, there is no question of my improvement. So we must accept our voluntary cooperation with Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, or His representative who comes before you to canvass, "My dear sir, please be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Please look to the leadership of the Supreme Lord." Now it is up to you.
Just like we are trying to understand Bhagavad-gītā just (as) Arjuna understood. Arjuna was direct hearer from Kṛṣṇa. So as he understood Bhagavad-gītā, we are trying to understand in that way. Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), that "You give up all other engagements. You just surrender unto Me." And what we are preaching? We are also saying that "You surrender unto Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa said, "You surrender unto Me," because He is the Supreme Person Himself. And we are canvassing, "You surrender to Kṛṣṇa." So what is the difference? There is no difference. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). The spiritual path is to follow the footprints of predecessors, great ācāryas who has realized. Then you become perfect.
If you pour water on the every leaf, I think you'll have no time. "Oh, there are millions of leaves. How we can...?" No. Take the root and pour water and it will reach. That is the way. Similarly, if you love your society, your friends, your country, your family, yourself, your dog, everything, if you love Kṛṣṇa, all love will be distributed. But if you don't love Kṛṣṇa, if you simply love this, simply love that, simply that, it will be never be perfect. Therefore the whole world is confused. They do not know where to repose the love. That do not know. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is canvassing: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam (BG 18.66). "Come here! Love Me! Increase your attachment for Me. Everything will be all right." Otherwise it is simply vague. Śrama eva hi kevalam. Simply waste of time.
We do not know what is Supreme Personality of Godhead. We do not know what is God. Everything forgotten. If there is, we speak about God, they think that "These people have become crazy. They are, in this modern civilization, talking of God. What is this nonsense?" This is the position. But that is not the fact. God is there. God is there. God is personally canvassing here, Kṛṣṇa. How you can say God is not there? God is there. God must be there. Otherwise, how things are going on? Just like because you are within this body, although you cannot see yourself. We cannot see ourself, where I am in this body. But I am in this body. As soon as I go away from this body, this body's useless.
So therefore it is our duty to understand Kṛṣṇa. What is the difficulty? Kṛṣṇa is personally..., God is personally explaining Himself, what He is, and if we accept that, then where is the difficulty to understand God? Why you are making so much research work to find out God? God is canvassing at your door, "Here I am. You try to understand Me. Here I am explaining Myself." "No, no, no. We shall find out God somewhere else." This is called mūḍha. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Narādhama means not even ordinary knowledge of a human being. Lowest of the mankind. We are searching out what is God, and God is canvassing here. We do not accept. Therefore narādhama.
That is His mercy. Kṛṣṇa is more anxious to accept us than we are anxious to accept Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes in His person as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes He sends His representative, sometimes He sends His son, bona fide devotee, and sometimes He comes as a devotee Himself to canvass, "Please come to Me. Please come to Me." Kṛṣṇa is so kind. You see?
So in the Bhagavad-gītā we find that Kṛṣṇa Himself came and canvassed through Arjuna that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "My dear Arjuna..." Not only Arjuna. Arjuna is representative of the living entities.
This Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, this is enjoyment, but this enjoyment is not like here, the young boys and girls, they enjoy. It is not like that because here the ānanda is temporary, it is not eternal, but that ānanda, rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtiḥ, is eternal blissful. So Kṛṣṇa is canvassing everyone that "You come to Me. Here also you will have this eternal ānanda, eternal blissfulness." You are after loving affairs, but here in this material world, actually there is no love. It is only lust. And even if you accept that this is love, it will not exist. It will be finished.
This is rascaldom. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ. We can understand who is an intelligent man and who is a rascal by this criterion. In another place Kṛṣṇa says, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ: (BG 7.15) "Mūḍhāḥ, rascals, they do not surrender unto Me." Kṛṣṇa is canvassing... Especially in India He appeared. He is canvassing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). He is canvassing. But the mūḍhas, they will not accept it. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ. "Oh. Why shall I accept Kṛṣṇa? I have got my own God. I manufacture my God." So we have got very short-cut criterion to understand a rascal and intelligent man.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
He is sending His representative, spiritual master, to speak you directly about Kṛṣṇa, and He is ready to help you from within as Paramatma. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. He wants that you are all suffering in this material existence, Kṛṣṇa comes as He is, and He canvasses, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). So bhāgavata-sevayā, nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18), cleansing the heart. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12).
So Kṛṣṇa is always trying. He's coming Himself as Lord, the Supreme Lord; He's coming as a devotee; He's sending His representative simply to canvass to come to the cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa (Bs. 5.29), where there is eternal happiness, desire trees... Therefore the Vedic literature... What is the purpose of Vedic literature? Veda means knowledge.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa is canvassing, yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi yat tapasyasi yad dadāsi yat kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27). Yat karoṣi. Everyone is engaged in some work. Yat karoṣi. Everyone they're engaged in performing sacrifices... Juhoṣi. Everyone is liking to give in charity. He has got some money; he wants to make some charity.
This is the satisfaction. We are searching after so many things to become satisfied, but if we try to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead—that we do not know—and without any motive—it cannot be checked—then yayātmā suprasīdati. If you want really peace of mind, then you search out Kṛṣṇa and surrender unto Him. Where is the difficulty? Kṛṣṇa personally canvassing you, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66).
Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes. Kṛṣṇa is the father of everyone. He canvasses, "My dear children, why you are rotting in this material world? Come back."
- sarva-dharmān parityajya
- mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
- ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
- mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
- (BG 18.66)
This is the message of Bhagavad-gītā. So dharma means to understand my relationship with God. That is dharma. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Just like a good citizen means who knows the relationship with the state.
The next life, if you go back to Kṛṣṇa... Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). Kṛṣṇa says, "You can go back to Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa comes here. He takes His incarnation here to canvass, "My dear sons, please come back home. Why you are suffering here?" Kṛṣṇa comes, Kṛṣṇa canvasses. Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). "Why you have created so many rascaldom, politics and economics and this and that, So many things are encumbered. Please come to Me. You'll be happy." This is the whole instruction of Bhagavad-gītā.
So this is the attachment. Even if you say... Just like what we are, we are doing? We are canvassing, "Please come with us, go, let us go." Just like Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, rādhā-kṛṣṇa bolo, saṅge calo, ei-mātra bhikhā cāi. So Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that "Kindly chant 'Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa' and come with me. We are going back to home, back to Godhead." Nobody is interested. "What is this 'Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa' nonsense? We are very happy here." Knot. Even if you describe, "Oh, here is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. You see how nicely They're dressed and They enjoy.
Some rascals questioned that "Why God has created this miserable world?" But you wanted, therefore God has given you. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). Kṛṣṇa says. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. You wanted such a thing. The same example, the prison house. The prison house, government is not canvassing, "Please, you all gentlemen and ladies, come here." No. You are going. You are going. Similarly, this material world is created for you because you wanted it. And here you cannot expect..., as you cannot expect in the prison house to live very comfortably... Because after all, it is prison house.
As we are trying to forget Kṛṣṇa, or God... We are all sons of God. But God cannot forget us, because we are sons. God is trying to reclaim us. He is coming. Kṛṣṇa is coming personally to canvass that "Why you are rotting here? Why don't you come? You just surrender and be happy." "No. I shall work here." "That's all right."
...liberation, oh, she is canvassing me, "Will you kindly take my service?" Muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate asmān: "We are devotees of Kṛṣṇa. Oh, mukti is standing on my door and just trying to, begging, 'May I serve you? May I serve you? What can I do for you? What can I do for you?" Muktiḥ mukulitāñjali means the folded hand. Mukti is serving us always in folded hands.
So there is no scarcity. Simply one has to take shelter of him. That's all. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is to create this canvasser. "Go everywhere." Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128). "Go." He used to send Nityānanda Prabhu, Haridāsa Ṭhākura and, to canvass, "Please chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Please chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Please surrender to Kṛṣṇa." Also there was a crowd on the street. Nityānanda Prabhu and Haridāsa Ṭhākura saw, and they asked, "What is this crowd?" "No, there are two brothers, Jagāi and Mādhāi, very troublesome.
We have to do that, but if you want to wait bahūnāṁ janma, after many, many births, you have to do the same business, why not do it now? This is intelligence. If after bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19), when I actually become wise, why not become wise immediately? Kṛṣṇa says; Kṛṣṇa is canvassing.
So we are canvassing door to door, country to country, village to village, "Sir, please come in our temple. We shall give you nice prasādam. You simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and hear something about Kṛṣṇa." So still, people will not come. Still, they will not come. We have to canvass. We have to do so many things. That is the influence of māyā. Māyā is so strong that unless one is very much determined, māyā will be very strong for him.
He doesn't force. That is not good. It is not force. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means on behalf of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we are canvassing from door to door, "My dear sir, you are very intelligent, but you are suffering always. Take this medicine. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." Thank you very much.
People misunderstand, "This Kṛṣṇa is a human being." Therefore, He comes as a devotee, as Lord Caitanya. He leaves behind Him all books of knowledge, Bhagavad-gītā. So we are canvasser. So our request is that don't take this movement as very sentimental or insignificant, it is the greatest science, greatest philosophy.
So if we surrender to Kṛṣṇa as Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), "Give up all other occupation, duties. Simply just surrender unto Me." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ. "Don't hesitate. Do it." Kṛṣṇa is personally canvassing. He's so kind. He comes personally. He speaks the whole truth in the Bhagavad-gītā.
He's canvassing, "Please do it." He again comes as a devotee, Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya is teaching how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. There is no difference between Lord Caitanya's teachings and Kṛṣṇa's teaching. The same thing. In one form, Kṛṣṇa is saying that "You surrender unto Me." And Lord Caitanya says that "You surrender to Kṛṣṇa." The fact is the same. So we are following Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. We are canvassing, "Please surrender to Kṛṣṇa." So our business is not very difficult. If we follow ourselves, if we surrender to Kṛṣṇa fully and teach others also the same thing... Not that something adulteration. No. Exactly what Kṛṣṇa says.
Without any charge. This our Kṛṣṇa consciousness society is giving the most valuable thing, chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, without any charge. Without any... They are canvassing, "Please take it. You'll be happy. Please take." So people should know how much valuable service they are rendering. How much valuable.
So bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). We get this chance, and if we are not educated by our teachers, by our fathers, by our leaders, by our government men, by our gurus, by our relatives, how to accept the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, who is canvassing... Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "Give up all this nonsense engagement, trying to become Kṛṣṇa, or God. Give up this. Surrender unto Me." This is education. This is education. The father should give education at home.
In this valuable life, it will also be spoiled if we don't surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is canvassing personally,
- sarva-dharmān parityajya
- mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
- ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
- mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
- (BG 18.66)
Kṛṣṇa personally comes to canvass. Because we are all Kṛṣṇa's children, He's very sorry that we are in this miserable condition of life. He's very sorry. But we are so fool, we do not know that what is the condition of our life. We are thinking we are very much happy. This is called māyā.
If you hear about Kṛṣṇa, you become purified. Hearing about Kṛṣṇa means associating with Kṛṣṇa. This secret they do not know. But we are canvassing, "Please come and hear about Kṛṣṇa. Your life will be perfect."
Everyone is interested with his own business. Similarly, we are interested with our own business, Kṛṣṇa consciousness business. Even if we go to a materialistic person, we canvass, "Kindly become our member. Kindly read this book. Purchase this book," so we are not going to take their activities. We are trying to bring them in our activities.
Just like you are a businessman and anybody goes to canvass for business, to get some order for your business, he is your representative. It is not very difficult to understand. If he is your representative and talks something nonsense then he is not your representative, he is cheating you. He is taking your money and doing something else. No, real representative is he who is canvassing for Kṛṣṇa, not canvassing for himself that "I have become Kṛṣṇa." No, he is not guru, he is cheater.. The representative is he who canvasses business for Kṛṣṇa. That is guru. Kṛṣṇa wants this business. What is that? "You rascal, give up everything and surrender unto Me, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66)." Kṛṣṇa wants this business. And Kṛṣṇa's representative also says that you give up everything, simply surrender to Kṛṣṇa.
Guru is very confidential servant of Kṛṣṇa. Why confidential servant? Because he is canvassing door to door, "Please become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Please surrender to Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), and guru takes that very mission, but does not say like Kṛṣṇa, that "Your surrender to me."
So as father is very unhappy, seeing the unhappy condition of the sons, although the son does not know, but father is unhappy, so Kṛṣṇa is unhappy. Therefore He comes. He canvasses that "Why you are captivated by this false, so-called happiness? You give up this." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). "I will give you relief. You come to Me.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for the rascal number one, and we always canvassing, soliciting, "Please take to this." Not that we have invented something. As Kṛṣṇa said to Arjuna that "This philosophy, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy..."
- imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ
- proktavān aham avyayam
- vivasvān manave prāha
- manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt
- (BG 4.1)
"I explained this philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness many, many millions of years ago to the sun-god." When He says, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam... (BG 4.1) Vivasvān, the name of the sun-god... At the present moment his name is Vivasvān.
So this knowledge, Kṛṣṇa is canvassing. He comes there occasionally. He comes once in the day of Brahmā, and the Brahmā's days is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). It means four, forty-three lakhs of years, add three zeros, some crores of years after, Kṛṣṇa comes once in Brahmā's days. Yadā yadā hi... That is just like the sun rises early in the morning, say, after twelve years, er, twelve hours. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's coming here, there is calculation in the śāstra. He comes once in a day of Brahmā. Means some crores of years after He comes. So things deteriorate. And not only He comes as Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, He comes at a certain period, and still, the His incarnations also come to educate these foolish people who are thinking that "We are living very happily," to canvass them, to say the same thing. Similarly, Kapiladeva also, He is propounding the Sāṅkhya philosophy. This is Sāṅkhya philosophy. What Kapiladeva is saying, Sāṅkhya philosophy, means unalloyed devotion to the Lord. That is Sāṅkhya philosophy.
So by giving up Kṛṣṇa... We have now given up Kṛṣṇa. We are canvassing. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we are canvassing everyone, every door, "Please come to Kṛṣṇa." This is our business. But they will not come. They have forgotten Kṛṣṇa or they have rejected Kṛṣṇa. This is the position. Therefore they are always in fearfulness position, always fearful. Bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syāt. This is certain(?). When there is fear? When one understands there is something else than Kṛṣṇa, then he is fearful. Then he is fearful. Dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ. Dvitīya means forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa is begging. Because we are Kṛṣṇa's sons or we have got very intimate relationship with Kṛṣṇa and we have given Him up and we have forgotten Him, therefore we are suffering. So Kṛṣṇa, being father, Kṛṣṇa, being friend of everyone, He comes, and He canvasses, and at last He says, "You rascal," sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam... (BG 18.66), ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyaḥ. "You are rotting here by repeatedly committing sinful life. Therefore you are changing from one body to another, and this is your material condition.
Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said, tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehinām. Dehinām. Dehī means... Dehinām means one who has accepted this material body. And Vaiṣṇava is suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām (SB 3.25.21). Kapiladeva has said. A Vaiṣṇava who is in connection with Kṛṣṇa, his business is to go door to door and canvass everyone, "My dear sir, you are not this body. You are wasting your time only under the concept of body. You are Kṛṣṇa's. You become Kṛṣṇa's servant." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. "My dear sir, you are not this body.
We, we have taken Bhagavad-gītā as it is, and we are preaching. We don't preach anything else which Bhagavān does not say. Bhagavān says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī mām... (BG 18.65). We are canvassing, "My dear sir, you just become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. You always think of Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. We say, "You just think of Kṛṣṇa." The same thing. There is no change. We do not interpret any way, "This man-manāḥ means this, and mad-bhaktaḥ means that." No. We don't do that. We present as it is.
If You kindly take me again." And He is ready. Kṛṣṇa is ready. Therefore He comes personally to canvass, that "Why you are rotting in this material world?" Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Just like fathers, sane father, request the bewildered son, "Why, my dear son, you are suffering in this way? Why don't you come back to home, and live peacefully and blissfully?" But no, we are determined. We are determined. Although Kṛṣṇa is canvassing, His devotees are canvassing, "No. No, sir. We shall enjoy here." What is enjoyment? Birth and death, disease and old age—is that enjoyment? But they have no brain to understand. Dull, mūḍhāḥ, duṣkṛtina.
This is actual liberation, because our constitutional position is to remain. We are servant of Kṛṣṇa. But somehow or other, we revolted. Still we are revolting. Although Kṛṣṇa coming and canvassing, "Just surrender unto Me," but still we are revolting. This is our disease. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7).
When Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), He does not say only to Arjuna; He says to everyone. So that is Kṛṣṇa's desire, and if you want to serve Kṛṣṇa, to fulfill His desire, that means you canvass everyone to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. This is preaching. Kṛṣṇa wants it. It is declared. So your business is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. So do it. Why don't you do it? Why you are aspiring after mukti, siddhi, and bhukti? These are all personal.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa is canvassing that "If you do not take this process, that process, you simply, while drinking water, you think of Me: 'Here is Kṛṣṇa. Here is Kṛṣṇa.' " As it is said here, tāpa apanodaḥ. Everyone drinks water, so everyone can remember Kṛṣṇa, or God, if you simply learn this art, that "While drinking water, while I feel satisfaction, I must know, 'Here is God.'
He is the proprietor of the all universes. So why He is asking this patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam? He is so poor? He is not poor. He is the most opulent. But if you begin to give something to Kṛṣṇa, you become opulent. That is wanted. Therefore He is canvassing that "Give Me something." Yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi yat tapasyasi, kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27). Because you have forgotten to give to Kṛṣṇa, therefore Kṛṣṇa comes down. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). He canvasses, "Please give Me something," as if He is in great need of it. He is not need of it. But if you hear Kṛṣṇa and if you give something to Kṛṣṇa, then it is for your benefit. You will understand gradually what is your relationship with Kṛṣṇa and gradually develop your Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then your life is successful. Then your life becomes peaceful.
If you surrender, not interest, Kṛṣṇa does not lose anything. He is omnipotent. He can create millions of devotees like you by His desire. He doesn't canvass. He is not canvassing, that "You become My devotee and I shall be very rich." No. Not the purpose. It is for your interest. The same thing. If you become a devotee of Vāsudeva, then you are saved from this repetition of birth and death.
So Kṛṣṇa is canvassing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). It is for our interest. So those who are fortunate, they will accept this offer of Kṛṣṇa and... Atha yāvad vāsudeve mayi prītir prīti rūpa bhakti.(?) Prīti means bhakti. Prīti means love. So there is Prīti-sandarbha by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, how one can become lover of Kṛṣṇa. Ṣaṭ-sandarbha. He has written six theses. One of them is the Prīti-sandarbha, Bhāgavata-sandarbha, six sandarbha, very highly philosophical books.
In this illusory galaxy of illusory, this material world, we may be saved, and that is wanted that we have to give up the attraction for this material world. Then there is possibility of spiritual advancement. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is canvassing personally that "You give up all these plans, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That will save you from this precarious position of material world, threefold miseries, suffering after suffering after suffering."
Kṛṣṇa is always ready to help you, provided you want to take his help. He is ready. He has come to help you. Otherwise what is the use of Kṛṣṇa's coming here and canvassing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam (BG 18.66)? That is for our interest. You surrender to Kṛṣṇa or not surrender, it doesn't matter to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa does not depend on your service. He is completely perfect. He can create millions of servants like you in a moment.
So why does He require your service? Why He should canvass for your service? His service is not suffering for want of you. But it is your interest to surrender to Him. It is your interest. This Kṛṣṇa wants to see, that you surrender to Him and become perfect and go back to home, back to Godhead. That is Kṛṣṇa's mission.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the same mission: to canvass.
- dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya
- (sic) kāku-śatam kṛtvā cāhaṁ bravīmi
- he sādhavaḥ sakalam eva vihāya dūrād
- caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāgam
This is our mission, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Why Prabodhananda Sarasvatī is requesting, caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāgam: "You just become inclined to serve the lotus feet of Caitanya"? Because He's Kṛṣṇa personally, and He has come to teach us how to approach Kṛṣṇa.
The animal does not know what is God. They are making research what is God, the theosophists, the theologists, making research. God is canvassing, "Here I am." Kṛṣṇa, He comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmi (BG 4.7). When these rascals forget what is God, He comes. And still, they are making research. He is acting as God; He is instructing as God; He is accepted by the ācāryas as God; still, these rascals are searching out God. This is their position. Why you are searching out? Here is God.
"When one comes to this understanding that Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is everything. I surrender to Kṛṣṇa.' " Kṛṣṇa is canvassing personally. Kṛṣṇa is so kind that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That we'll not take. "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is claiming too much." But that is the ultimate goal, that you have to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. That is the highest perfection.
They are thinking, "We shall make plan here and live peacefully." That is going on. And God is coming, Kṛṣṇa is coming, canvassing, that "Come back to home, back to Godhead," and we are not interested. We are making plan here. This is our misfortune. But this plan will be frustrated. That is the nature's law. Daivi hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Whatever plan you make, it will be frustrated. It will never be successful.
Where is the destination of life, they do not know it. Na te viduḥ. These rascals, those who have come to this material world, they do not know where is the goal of life because they are rascals, mūḍha, narādhama. Kṛṣṇa is canvassing that "Give up all this nonsense business." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Nobody will hear. He will manufacture his own way. This is the disease. Why? Because under the spell of māyā.
Why an impersonalist, although very advanced in knowledge, in Vedic knowledge, still he does not know what is Kṛṣṇa? He inquires, "What is God?" Just see. God is canvassing, "Here I am," and he is inquiring, "What is God?" So this is our misfortune.
Only you can understand by His mercy. Only by the mercy of... Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Just like Kṛṣṇa is voluntarily offering Arjuna to understand Bhagavad-gītā. He's not going to canvass anyone. "Arjuna, you understand it. You'll be able to understand because you are My devotee."
They are staying at home, which is the path to hell, and they are absorbed in unlimited desires. Gṛhe. Gṛhe. Gṛhe means staying at home, not going out for canvassing for Kṛṣṇa. Gṛhe niraya-vartmani. What is this gṛhe? Niraya means hell, and vartmani means path. Gṛhe means "the path of going to hell." That was also advised by Prahlāda Mahārāja.
Nobody can capture the seed of God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But it is very... It is meant for the fortunate. So all right, he may be fortunate, but devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa and God, they are trying to make others fortunate. They are approaching, canvassing. So if anybody is intelligent, he catches up. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that mali hana sei bija kara aropana. Now, suppose you have got the seed of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, now it is your duty to become a gardener. How? Mālī hañā sei bīja kara āropaṇa, śravaṇa kīrtana jale kara secana Just like you sow a seed in your garden or in your house and put some little water daily and it grows gradually, similarly, if you have captured the seed of Kṛṣṇa consciousness or God consciousness, just pour water on it of this hearing and chanting.
There are dharmas according to country, society, but real dharma is bhāgavata-dharma. That is instructed in the Bhagavad-gītā also. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Who is mām? Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān. You will see in the Bhagavad-gītā, śrī-bhagavān uvāca. So Bhagavān says that "surrender unto Me." Opportunity. Kṛṣṇa comes to give the opportunity. He is canvassing.
Therefore the father comes as incarnation. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). Why Kṛṣṇa comes? Not only He comes, He sends His so many incarnation. Some of them are svāṁśa. Some of them are vibhinnāṁśa. Everyone is coming here to canvass, to get back the sons back to home, back to Godhead. In different countries, in different atmosphere the business is going on to reestablish the lost or forgotten relationship with God. This is going on.
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says... That is the sublime gift of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī adored Him, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te: (CC Madhya 19.53) "My dear Lord, You are the most munificent, magnanimous incarnation, because You are distributing love of Kṛṣṇa." This is very rare thing, love of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa personally failed. He canvassed, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You give up everything. Just surrender unto Me, Kṛṣṇa, personally." But nobody surrendered; only a few persons of the Pāṇḍavas, Arjuna, Bhīma, or the gopīs in Vṛndāvana.
Prabhupāda: What is that?
Devotee (6): Is Kṛṣṇa not a God of compassion?
Prabhupāda: Oh, who can be more than, compassion, than Him? He is canvassing you, "My dear boy, please come to Me. I will give you all protection. Why you are suffering here?" Can you find out any person more compassionate than Kṛṣṇa? He is the most compassionate.
Try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Then everything is auspicious. And then Kṛṣṇa will... Instead of begging from Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will beg from whatever you want: "What you want, please tell Me." The devotee never wants, but Kṛṣṇa is anxious. Here it is said, varaṁ vṛṇīṣva: "You take whatever you like." So if you simply please Kṛṣṇa, He'll canvass, "My dear devotee, whatever you want, you take. You can take from Me." Varaṁ vṛṇīṣva. "So why shall I beg from You?" Now, kāma-pūro asmi: "Whatever you desire, I can fulfill. I am so powerful."
We get this chance, and if we are not educated by our teachers, by our fathers, by our leaders, by our government men, by our gurus, by our relatives, how to accept the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, who is canvassing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "Give up all this nonsense engagement, trying to become Kṛṣṇa or God. Give up this. Surrender unto Me"... This is education. This is education. The father should give education at home. The leaders should give education in institution. The politician should give education in their assemblies, congress. The guru should give education how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
And he can select whether to remain under the control of material energy or under the control of spiritual energy. Therefore he's called marginal. The living entity's position is marginal, in between the two energies. So he can select. So Kṛṣṇa therefore comes to canvass that "Why you are working under material energy..."
- prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
- guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
- ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
- karta aham iti manyate
- (BG 3.27)
Those who are under the material energy, they are pulled by the ear of the person by the material energy. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). Yantrārūḍhāni. This body is a yantra, is an automobile, mechanical car.
So that service, when one agrees to serve Kṛṣṇa... Because nobody's agreeable to serve Kṛṣṇa. They will... Kṛṣṇa personally came, canvassed. How many people are serving Kṛṣṇa? Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā (BG 9.11). "Oh, it is too much. Kṛṣṇa is asking that 'Give up everything and serve un..., unto Him.' It is too much." People are taking, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā, because they are mūḍhas.
So to find out a bona fide spiritual master is not a very difficult job, because if one is representing guru, Kṛṣṇa, then he must speak of Kṛṣṇa, canvass for Kṛṣṇa. What do you think, Visanji?
Indian man: Jaya, Mahārāja.
Where is the difficulty to find out a bona fide guru? Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "You preach the words of Kṛṣṇa." Therefore He's bona fide. Similarly, anyone who is representing Kṛṣṇa and canvassing for Kṛṣṇa, he's bona fide guru. Where is the difficulty? Is there any difficulty? Anyone can understand that if Kṛṣṇa is the original guru, and if somebody's canvassing for Kṛṣṇa, he's bona fide guru. If somebody canvassing for himself, he's not bona fide guru. So there is no difficulty to find out a bona fide guru, provided I am serious to find out a bona fide guru. But if I want something else... Because hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
We should approach through guru. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). That is the injunction of the śāstra, that one should approach the guru who can transfer the service from the disciple to the Supreme Person. So... Therefore the first offering is guru, vande gurūn. Then guru creates many devotees. Guru's business is to canvass on behalf of Supreme Lord. That is guru's business. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), so, "You give up all material, engage..." Sarva-dharmān means in the material world we have created so many so-called duties. This is our material disease.
So therefore guru is very important because he has accepted Kṛṣṇa... Tattva-darśibhiḥ, he has seen the truth. So therefore guru is first offered... This is the test of guru. Guru does not become Kṛṣṇa himself, but he canvasses door to door to induce that "You become devotee of Kṛṣṇa." This is sign of guru. Vande gurūn īśa-bhaktān. Īśa-bhaktān. Then we shall describe later on.
Apahṛta-jñānā means that although they have got university degrees, although they are called civilized, advanced in material civilization, but māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. Their degrees, because they do not know Kṛṣṇa thoroughly and therefore do not surrender to Kṛṣṇa, which Kṛṣṇa is canvassing personally, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja... (BG 18.66). He's personally canvassing. Because these rascals and fools, they are in darkness—they do not know what is the goal of life—Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He is canvassing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. This is the philosophy. So still, they are not doing so.
So Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Nityānanda, They came, descended again, being merciful, same Kṛṣṇa. Vrajendra-nandana yei, Śacī-sūta hoilo sei. Same Kṛṣṇa. In a different way they canvassed the same principle. (aside:) You can sit down there. You are sleeping. Don't sleep. Don't show that sleeping. Go there. So this is the darkness. And Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared to drive away this darkness—same Kṛṣṇa, the same Kṛṣṇa. There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa's preaching and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's preaching.
So Nityānanda Prabhu, being prakāśā, He is manifesting Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He's canvassing the same thing. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is canvassing to accept Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and to accept Kṛṣṇa consciousness through the mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu and Their other assistants is easier, easier.
These foolish persons at the present moment... It is very, very much regrettable that they are passing on as very learned scholar, as philosopher, politician, economist. But according to Kṛṣṇa's statement in the Bhagavad-gītā, they are all fool and rascals. Why? Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ pra... They are not surrendering to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa came, appeared, upon this planet in this universe to canvass that "You surrender." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam (BG 18.66). But they did not. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as a devotee of Kṛṣṇa... He's Kṛṣṇa.
So my Guru Mahārāja, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he was goṣṭhyānandī. He wanted to increase the number of devotees. And the more you increase the number of devotees, the more you become very much recognized by Kṛṣṇa. It is Kṛṣṇa's business. Kṛṣṇa personally comes as He is, Kṛṣṇa, to spread this bhakti cult. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). He's canvassing personally.
We have also made our business... This is animal business. So therefore mandāḥ, they are not at all interested. As Kṛṣṇa as a devotee descended on this planet, Lord Caitanya, to canvass for Kṛṣṇa, similarly we, the servants of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we are canvassing door to door. That is our business. Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, he has taught us how to canvass door to door for accepting Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Later on, after meeting Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he accepted sannyāsa. Then he wrote a book, Caitanya-candrodaya, very nice book. In that, this verse appears. He is canvassing on behalf of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, or on behalf of Kṛṣṇa. There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is combination of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.
So that, by that such mentality, godless mentality, atheistic mentality, the people of the world, they are not happy. But still, they are fools. Because they are fools, they'll not take to God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But it is our duty to canvass, to request.
Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures
One who has developed love of Kṛṣṇa, he can see Kṛṣṇa within his heart twenty-four hours. So it is very nice proposition, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Please take to it. We are canvassing. We are sending our devotees to the street, begging, "Please come to our temple, be Kṛṣṇa conscious." That is our business. Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted it.
Festival Lectures
So Kṛṣṇa comes personally to canvass, that "This is not your proper order of life. You are misusing your independence for sense gratification and wandering through various types of transmigration of bodies, sometimes human body, sometimes dog's body, sometimes cat's body, sometimes demigod's body, sometimes rich body, sometimes poor body."
So for the conditioned... They will never agree to abide by God. Therefore, for them, this material world, the external energy: "All right, you do whatever you like. You do according to..." But still, there is canvassing work. Oh, God sends His son to canvass, "Oh, this is not your right engagement. Please come back to home, back to Godhead." Kṛṣṇa comes. God Himself comes. He sends His devotees. He comes as a devotee just to again reclaim, but they are so stubborn, they will not give up this habit. Even in their so-called spiritual cultivation they are thinking that "I am God.
Of course, we do sincerely. So if we propagate sincerely and seriously, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu has ordered, yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa' upadeśa... (CC Madhya 7.128). We must be sincere. Then, if we canvass, "Please chant Hare Kṛṣṇa," it will be effective. It will be effective. The business is not very serious or very difficult. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'... "Anyone you meet, you simply request him about hearing about Kṛṣṇa." So... But if one is so much covered by materialistic enjoyment, it takes little time.
So what is our plan? Our plan is, Kṛṣṇa's says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ (BG 18.66). Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī. So our plan is the same thing. We are simply canvassing for Kṛṣṇa, that "You become Kṛṣṇa conscious." We have to show our example, how we are becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious, how we are worshiping Kṛṣṇa, how we are going on the street for vibrating Kṛṣṇa's name, transcendental name. Now we are distributing Kṛṣṇa's prasādam. As far as possible, our business is to induce persons how he becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious. That's all.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
Kṛṣṇa appeared five thousand years ago on this planet, and at Vṛndāvana He exhibited His real pastimes in the spiritual world, so just to give practical demonstration and to invite you there. Kṛṣṇa (is) canvassing: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66).
One who will not come to that platform, that is his fault. We are canvassing everywhere that "Come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and be happy. And see whether you are not..." Otherwise, if they are not happy, how the man, woman, the boy, the child, the father, the mother, the black and white, everyone is dancing. Why? This is the platform of happiness. So we are inviting, "Come to this platform. Why you should remain disappointed?" That is our mission.
Initiation Lectures
"For self-realization simply you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and see the result." No. They'll not accept. Therefore unfortunate. If you are canvassing the best thing, the easiest process, but they'll not accept, they want to be cheated... You see? Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). And harassed by so many things—this Draft Board, this board, that board, this, that, so many things. This is their position. Short life, very slow, no understanding, and if they want to understand, they want to be cheated, they are unfortunate, and disturbed.
We don't canvass that "You become our disciple." Anyone who understands, "Oh, this is very nice," if he comes, "Swamijī, initiate me," he is welcome. But there is no canvassing or selling the mantra. No. We have no such business. We give everyone freedom to hear this chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra without any charges. We go from door to door, street to street: "Hear and be purified." And if anyone wants to be intimately associated with us, we welcome. But we don't canvass. That is no use.
Unless one is recommended by the president... If he is eager, he is, I mean to say, accept brāhmaṇa, then we see that how he is attending our classes, how he is becoming little interested. Then we offer this first initiation. Otherwise, if we see that he is unmindful, then we should not canvass. Let him come. Just like Kṛṣṇa says Arjuna that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You just surrender unto Me." He's saying. Not that by force making him surrender. That kind of surrender will not stand. We should not canvass. Let him become attracted by Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and he personally asks for harer nāma (CC Adi 17.21). Just like Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, bhakativinoda prabhu-caraṇe paḍiyā.
General Lectures
Every one of us, beginning from the ant up to the highest living creature, Brahmā, everyone is trying to become one of the lords. Just like recently in your country there were so many canvassing for becoming the president. Why? The same idea. Everyone is after becoming some kind of lord. This is māyā. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is completely opposite. We are just trying to become the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. Just opposite. Instead of becoming the lord, we want to be the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa.
At the same time, tad-arthe, for Him, for His sake, akhila-ceṣṭitam... Any endeavor for pushing on Kṛṣṇa's glories, that is also as good as chanting the holy name. When you go out for canvassing, for pushing on this movement, people may not see that you are not chanting and dancing. Suppose you are canvassing for a life member. That topic is also as good as chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra because akhila-ceṣṭitam. One's life must be dedicated simply for Kṛṣṇa's service.
So what business has God, Kṛṣṇa, to witness your activities? No, He has got business because He wants to take you back to home, back to Godhead. Therefore He is suhṛt. Ātmeśvaraḥ suhṛt. Nobody is better friend than Kṛṣṇa, He is always thinking how this bewildered individual soul can be brought back to home, back to Godhead. He personally comes, therefore, canvassing. Sarva-guhyatamam. "The most confidential part of knowledge I am giving you, Arjuna, that you surrender unto Me. That is better." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66). He is canvassing door to door. He is coming from Vaikuṇṭha, from Vṛndāvana, to teach us how you can become friend of Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana, how you can become mother of Kṛṣṇa, how you can become father of Kṛṣṇa. Here the jñānīs, they try to be equal with Kṛṣṇa, but a devotee can become the father of Kṛṣṇa.
So those who are actually intelligent, they take this opportunity and surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa. It is very easy if one accepts easily, but it is very difficult if one does not accept it easily. Otherwise it is very easy. Kṛṣṇa is canvassing that "You surrender unto Me." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). That is Kṛṣṇa is giving us the intelligence, buddhi-yogam. And if you surrender, then Kṛṣṇa says, assures,
- teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
- bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
- dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
- yena mām upayānti te
- (BG 10.10)
Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām. Satata means twenty-four hours. Not that I meditate for fifteen minutes and do all nonsense twenty-four hours. No. Satata-yuktānām. One should be engaged twenty-four hours in the business of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is possible. It is not that it is impossible.
That is certain. Don't risk your life. Take the opportunity of human life and be Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is the message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Kṛṣṇa personally comes to canvass, to "Please give up all this engagement, please come to Me, surrender unto Me, and I will give you all protection." This is the lesson we understand from Bhagavad-gītā. And if we actually surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, if we actually understand Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then your bhāgavata-dhima(?) begins.
Therefore as we are representative of God, we are canvassing door to door, "Please become Kṛṣṇa conscious and make your life successful." That's all. Now it is up to you to take it or reject it. That is your business. Our business is to canvass. The representative goes to secure business door to door. Somebody purchases; somebody does not.
He did not believe in God. But by the grace of Nārada Muni, his son, from the very womb of his mother, he was initiated in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And after his birth he became a great devotee. And when he was only five years old he was preaching this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement amongst his class fellows. He was little boy, king's son. He had no opportunity to go out of the palace. Still, he took the opportunity of speaking something about this bhāgavata-dharma amongst his class fellows. So he was canvassing his class fellows, "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa."
So they were not agreeable to their friend's advice, Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja canvassing to his friends, little friends, "My dear friends, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." And they were replying, "Prahlāda, why you are insisting us to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa? Let us play. We shall see Hare Kṛṣṇa at the time of death." But he was insisting, "My dear friends, no." Kaumāra ācaret prājño. "This Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be studied, should be understood from the very beginning of boyhood, kaumāra." Kaumāra means boyhood. From... Boyhood means from the age of five years.
So Kṛṣṇa gives protection that "You surrender unto Me, and I give you protection from the reaction of all sinful life." So who wants Kṛṣṇa? You do not want. Kṛṣṇa says, canvassing, but who is accepting? Then how you can get, I mean to say, liberty or liberation from these sinful activities? Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo. People suffer on account of sinful activities.
Kṛṣṇa is canvassing you that "You try to understand Me. Come back." But you do not want it. So how Kṛṣṇa can save you? You have got the independence. Kṛṣṇa said to Arjuna, "Now I (have) explained to you everything. Yathecchasi tathā kuru (BG 18.63). Now, whatever you like, you do." So we have got that little independence because we are part and parcel of God.
He'll always talk with you, most confidentially, and your life will be successful. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. But unfortunately, people are not prepared to accept this simple thing and make his life successful. Still we are canvassing door to door, country to country, that "You accept this process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and you'll be happy in your life," not only this life, next life. That is is perfection of life.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes and canvasses, and He tells the conditioned souls, "You must surrender to Me." And if one chooses not to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, that means that he himself wants to become Kṛṣṇa—without any qualification. The spirit soul is infinitesimal spark of Kṛṣṇa. And that spark, when not in touch with Kṛṣṇa, the fire, becomes like the sparks of the fire not in contact with the fire: extinguished. So there is no good qualities for the living beings who are outside Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1968 Conversations and Morning Walks
Annapurna: I got a letter from my father.
Prabhupāda: So is that all right?
Annapurna: Yes.
Prabhupāda: So what is our next program? (chuckles) That letter is encouraging?
Annapurna: Yes.
Prabhupāda: That's all right. (pause) So on behalf of Kṛṣṇa we have to canvass with folded hands and with all humility, "Please come to our temple and hear." He sādhavā sakalam eva vihāya dūrād caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāgam. All right. (pause)
Devotee: This rule, "No gambling," does this also include speculation?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Speculation is gambling.
1970 Conversations and Morning Walks
Hamsadutta: No, you won't disturb. You'll enhance us.
Guest (2): Tomorrow I'll come.
Prabhupāda: Where you are staying here? (break) ...actually inquisitive, he'll capture it. It is not the question of... Japan. (break) ...personal ambition. It is service to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa wants. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ (BG 18.66). So we are canvassing.
Haṁsadūta: In my suitcase. Shall I bring them?
Prabhupāda: Yes, bring. (break) Kṛṣṇa, canvassing Himself, says, Kṛṣṇa, Himself canvassing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). "Give up everything. Just surrender unto Me." How many do it? So we are canvassing on behalf of Kṛṣṇa. He personally said practically. So you don't expect that everyone will be Kṛṣṇa conscious. It is very difficult.
1972 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: So we have no such distinction. But still, from materialistic point of view, these boys and girls, they, three or four years ago they did not know what is this word Kṛṣṇa. But now they are so perfectly devotee of Kṛṣṇa, and nobody can deviate them. If somebody says that "You give up this Kṛṣṇa consciousness and take..." Now here is Śyāmasundara. His father is very, very rich man, young man. He is always canvassing him that—he is only son—that "You come, do business. You take millions of dollars, whatever you like." He is not going.
Prabhupāda: We get history from five thousand years ago. You have no history beyond three thousand years. But we give the shortest history, five thousand years ago, Kṛṣṇa. And how much intelligent from historical point of view Kṛṣṇa was. We can understand from His instruction, Bhagavad-gītā. It is not that because we are Kṛṣṇaites we are canvassing. The whole world is reading Bhagavad-gītā. Why, unless there is intelligence? All scholars, all religionists, all philosophers, they are giving attention to Bhagavad-gītā.
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Utilize His mercy. Then your life is perfect. He is ready to help you, from within and from without. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. The kindness, the mercifulness of Kṛṣṇa, nobody can repay. In every birth, He is with me, canvassing: "Why you are acting whimsically? Just turn towards Me." Therefore He's going along with the living entity in every kind of body, either as demigod's body or hog's body, still, Kṛṣṇa is there. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭhaḥ (BG 15.15). (pause) Give him some prasāda.
Haṁsadūta: Fallen into māyā. Or misused.
Prabhupāda: Not lost. Independence still there. He can go back again to father, go back to home, back to Godhead. God says that: sarva-dharmān... "You have come here to enjoy your independence, but you have created a havoc, entanglement. Now, if you simply surrender unto Me, abide by My orders, I give you all concessions. Immediately you are free from all reaction and come back to Me." Therefore, God comes to canvass, He sends His devotee to canvass, that: "You give up your misuse of independence and become happy." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness program. But if you still stick to the independence, misuse of independence, you remain here.
Prabhupāda: Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). The jñānīs, karmīs, yogis, they are trying to come to the Absolute Truth, but they will take many, many births to come to this point to surrender. Therefore intelligence means if one understands that "Ultimately I have to come to Kṛṣṇa for my highest perfection; then why not immediately? Kṛṣṇa is canvassing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Why not take this process?" This is intelligence. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān: (BG 7.19) "After many, many births when one actually becomes wise, jñānavān, he surrenders, he surrenders." If one remains still unwise, not fully in knowledge, he hesitates, "Oh, why shall I surrender to Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is as like me; He is also a man. Maybe a powerful man, a very learned man." No. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Satsvarūpa: To everyone, tell them about Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Satsvarūpa: Not thinking, "Oh, when will I go to Kṛṣṇaloka?"
Prabhupāda: No, it doesn't matter. You give him good advice. Just like a canvasser. He canvasses for selling some books or some... If does not sell, he is not a culprit. He has done his job. That is recognized by Kṛṣṇa. Devotee does not make any bargain with Kṛṣṇa that "Kṛṣṇa will give me this benefit; therefore I have become pure devotee." That is not devotee.
Prabhupāda: Therefore the Freud's philosophy is centered around sex. They do not know. How they can know? Only the Kṛṣṇa conscious person, that is yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-pādāravinde nava-nava-dhāmany udyatam. Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he was a young man. Beautiful young prostitute at dead of night came to canvass. "Yes, sit down. I shall finish this Hare Kṛṣṇa." So Haridāsa Ṭhākura took his compassion, "This woman has come to me. All right." Three days she became purified. Immediately fell down, "Thank you very much.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement—Kṛṣṇa is open to everyone. But if you are fortunate, you come to the light. If you are unfortunate, do not. That is your choice. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). You do it. Now it is your choice. You surrender to Kṛṣṇa or don't surrender. That is your business. We are canvassing everyone, "Take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and you'll be happy." Now it is their business to take it or not to take it. But he can come. He can ask question and then "How? Why shall I take it?" That we are ready, to convince him. That is preaching.
Prabhupāda: "I have got the medicine. You take it." Enechi auṣadhi māyā nāśibāro lāgi', hari-nāma mahā-mantra lao tumi māgi'. "You take it from Me, hari-nāma mahā-mantra." So this is our mission. We have got the medicine to awake the people from this ignorance. He doesn't know anything. He is busy only with his fifty years. Nowadays less still, we live, such rascaldom we are. "We have got the medicine. Now you take it." This is our canvassing, Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. If you don't agree, that is your business. That is your misfortune. The disease is there, and the remedy is also there. So we offer you the remedy free of charges, and if you don't take it, then it should be understood that you are so misfortunate, unfortunate.
Bahulāśva: So those people who wrote the Bible did not see God.
Prabhupāda: That is... when God is canvassing, "Here I am, Kṛṣṇa," they will not see it. And still, they accuse, "Nobody has seen."
Prabhupāda: Spiritual life means to end all kinds of suffering. That is spiritual life. Not that I get free myself from this kind of suffering and I accept that kind of suffering. This is not good conclusion. Atyantika-duḥkha. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This place is duḥkhālayam, full of miseries. And Kṛṣṇa is canvassing, "Why you are suffering? Come to Me." This mercantile community, they are earning money for mitigating suffering, but for earning money they are accepting any means. In future he is creating field of another suffering. That he does not know. He thinks, "Now, if I get money somehow or other, my present sufferings will be mitigated."
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Bharadvāja: He can take it directly without having performed some pious activities?
Prabhupāda: He'll take.... No, if he accepts, that is pious. And Kṛṣṇa comes personally to canvass, "You rascal, take this and be happy." But he'll not do. Although it takes millions of years to come to that understanding, Kṛṣṇa personally comes: "You take it. I assure you, I shall give you all protection," but they'll not take it.
Indian man: Is this agreement due to learning or out of...?
Prabhupāda: No, Kṛṣṇa says sarva-dharmān parityajya mām (BG 18.66), you surrender, you become qualified. You agree, "Yes, I surrender, Kṛṣṇa says." Then immediately you become qualified. But that you do not do. Kṛṣṇa is personally canvassing, but we are not agreeing. What can be done? If I say, with a bag of million dollars, "Take this bag," if you don't agree, then you remain poor man. But you agree, "Yes, without any labor I'm getting the million dollars.
Prabhupāda: That is intelligence. Kṛṣṇa is canvassing. One has to take millions of births to come to this point, and Kṛṣṇa is personally promising, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). Why not take advantage? That means you do not agree. If you agree, the result is immediate. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). They are thinking, "Ah, Kṛṣṇa is also human being like me. Why shall I surrender to Him?" They are mūḍha. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ. Then remain a rascal. What can be done? We have got little independence, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is fully independent. But because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we have got little independence, so we can refuse. Although Kṛṣṇa canvassing, sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66), we can refuse: "Why shall I surrender to You?" That is our misfortune.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: We have that newspaper from South Africa.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Anyway, we are not after all this magic. We are laymen. We do not want this magic, neither we want to show magic. We simply, as canvasser of Kṛṣṇa, we are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness, "Sir, Kṛṣṇa says like this, you do like that," that's all. If you like, you can do; otherwise let us do our own business. We don't show any magic, neither we speak anything which is not in the Bhagavad-gītā. If there is little success, it is due to this secret, that's all. (Bengali) Kṛṣṇa says that He is Supreme, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). So we are preaching, "Yes, Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme," that's all.
Hari-śauri: Oh, yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Then he's covered it with canvas. This has rubber tire, and then it's covered by canvas.
Devotee: ...steel.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Pretty big carts. These carts have the same mechanism, they go up and down, Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa.
If he's fortunate, he'll do it. Even he does not do it, you are carrying the message, you become recognized by Kṛṣṇa. Na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ (BG 18.69). You are doing sincerely, then you are recognized by Kṛṣṇa. Just like a canvasser, salesman, goes to the market, tries his best to secure some business. The master sees the report how he has worked. Even though he has not secured a single paisa business, but he has tried to introduce the goods, then he's bona fide(?). He's bona fide(?). Similarly, we have to simply carry the message of Kṛṣṇa and try to convince people. If one is convinced, it is good, if not, doesn't matter, I am not going to.... Then you are recognized by Kṛṣṇa. Recognition means you become the dearest servant of Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: You surrender, not surrender, that is you business. But my business is that I am requesting you that you surrender to Kṛṣṇa. So where is my difficulty? You surrender, not, that is your business. But my business is to canvass, "Sir, you surrender to Kṛṣṇa." So I am representing. And Kṛṣṇa says, na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ (BG 18.69). I have to be recognized by Kṛṣṇa. That is my business. So if I do agree, then I become recognized by Kṛṣṇa. You do or not do, that is your business. My only business is to request you.
Hari-śauri: We just have to show them how many books we are printing and everything, too.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hari-śauri: It's not that we're letting the money sit and accumulating.
Prabhupāda: No. I am daily canvassing Gopāla Kṛṣṇa, "Print book! I don't want to keep the money in the bank, convert into the books and keep it in our..." I am asking.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: It is very precarious condition. So we want to give them, all of them, "Come and live." But when you come here, if you get husband we have no objection. But don't canvass. That is not good. And that is making our sannyāsīs fall down. Of course, it is difficult, that young men, young women living, intermingling. But it is... Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to reform everything. Even there there is such desire it should be checked. And that can be checked if one is strictly Kṛṣṇa conscious. Otherwise not possible. So these things should be... Because the Kali-yuga, the more it advances, people will be suffering in so many ways. And the only solace is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, only solution. If one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, then he (she) doesn't require husband. He (she) does not require.
Prabhupāda: Refusal or not, (?) people do not teach also, that "Here is Kṛṣṇa, the Almighty, the Supreme. You surrender here." And the Almighty is canvassing, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī mām. But they'll not do that. And neither their so-called leaders will teach them to do that. So this is going on. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that "You become a guru." Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128). "You become a guru and deliver them."
Prabhupāda: This is the test. Guru... The supreme guru is Kṛṣṇa, and anyone canvasses for Kṛṣṇa, he is guru, guru's represent... Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya. That guru will never say that "Kṛṣṇa is dead and gone. I am now guru. I am Kṛṣṇa. I am avatāra." That is rascaldom. So if you want such rascal, then you'll be cheated. (aside:) Who is bringing prasāda? Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151). Everything is there. Read Bhagavad-gītā very carefully. Don't misinterpret. That has killed our culture. They do not know what is Bhagavad-gītā, and they stand: "I am a student of Bhagavad-gītā." This is going on. Even recently I had been in Gandhi's aśrama. It is a desert.
So we are preaching that, "Please take it." One who is fortunate will take it. And one who is manda-bhāgyā, he'll not take it. What can be done? Our business is to canvass, "Please take it. Please take it." So we will go on like that. People may take it or don't take it. Our business, because we are servants of Kṛṣṇa... Ya imaṁ mad-bhakteṣu. Find out. Na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ (BG 18.69). Ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati. It is paramaṁ guhyam. When Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam (BG 18.66), it is not very easily accepted. That is the most confidential part of His instruction. But still, we have to canvass.
Prabhupāda: Even there is no good result, we don't mind. We must be sincere to Kṛṣṇa that "We have done our best." That's all. Without cheating Kṛṣṇa. That is our duty. As servant, we shall not cheat the master. Result, no result—that depends on Kṛṣṇa. We should not be sorry if there is not result. Never mind. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "I have brought to Benares hari-nāma, but here they are full of Māyāvādīs. So if it is not sold, all right, I shall take it back." Caitanya Mahāprabhu said. So we should not be anxious whether the things are sold or not. But we must do our best canvassing work: "Please take it." That is our duty. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yesterday that man was canvassing you. That Āyur-veda man.
Prabhupāda: As soon as he wanted history I rejected him. He is not Ayurvedic. And Karttikeya was sorry that I did not give him for one and a half hour.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, Karttikeya, the whole time he was very agitated.
Prabhupāda: So everyone who will come I will have to give one and a half hour?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, it's not possible. Neither it's possible that... Just like yesterday Kṛṣṇa sends you a man who says, "Sir, I would like to translate your books into Russian." You did not go canvassing for Russian translator. Every single thing is coming... Kṛṣṇa is sending to you.
Prabhupāda: So take shelter of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet. That is the only way. Then everything is all right.
- samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ
- mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ
- bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ
- padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām
- (SB 10.14.58)
Bhāgavata is giving you Kṛṣṇa. Therefore everyone should read Bhāgavata, Bhagavad-gītā. So this is the paramparā system, we are giving. In future if they follow, they will also be delivered(?). This is wanted. We have made some plan. We are making. So this will be left.
Prabhupāda: Here you see so many young men, our association. They are fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. They do not know anything else than Kṛṣṇa. So why it is seldom? You won't take. That is your fault. Rather, they are coming to you. They are canvassing. But you are so stubborn, you'll not take it. That is your fault. They are canvassing door to door. Why do you say, "It is seldom"? It is very easily available. But you won't take. That is your fault. Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally came, and He canvassed door to door. He sent His men door to door.
Prabhupāda: Take advantage of intelligent person. But you remain a rascal and claim to be intelligent, and that is... They are doing. Little learning is dangerous. We say that don't remain rascal. Tamaso mā: "Don't remain in darkness." We say; we are canvassing. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for that purpose, that "You are rascal, but don't remain a rascal. Come to the light." Tamaso mā jyotir gama. That is our business. But this rascal, he'll remain in rascaldom, and he will claim that "I am not." That is the difficulty.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That means we have to canvass vigorously to get students.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Akṣayānanda: We have to preach.
Prabhupāda: That is the problem. Keep place ready, but you have to bring students.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They're not going to come of their own. We have to go out and get them.
Prabhupāda: They will come later on, when they will see: "Yes..."
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, oh, like a map. Once they are put on canvas, can they be rolled, Puṣkara?
Puṣkara: Yeah. The best thing is to put them on a board and just permanently put these onto the best possible...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He says the best thing is to mount them on something and then display them somewhere, keep them permanently that way, stretched out.
Puṣkara: Every time you roll it, it gets ruined more.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Every time you have to roll it...
Prabhupāda: Take one room in the gurukula building.
Correspondence
1970 Correspondence
I am very glad that you are working in Bombay with great enthusiasm. As you say that Bombay is like a dream for Krsna Consciousness, you may take the Bombay Center very seriously and do it nicely. The program of work of two parties working canvassing Life Members is very nice. The only thing is we require immediately a nice place to keep your assistants. If the Jolly business is not settled up, then you immediately try to have some place on rental basis.
1971 Correspondence
We are doing that very nicely in India. Your Sunday Prasadam feast program is now successful. At the feast you can canvass everyone to become our member. Everyone is Krsna's son, so if one is mislead it is our duty to reclaim him for Krsna and one who is engaged in such work is soon recognized by Krsna.
1972 Correspondence
Another thing, because our business is to engage many men in the devotional service of Krsna, then if we give the job to others for distributing all our books, then where is the opportunity for our students to canvass all the citizens to purchase our books to give them good training how to preach? I think Macmillan wants "exclusive" rights to distribute, but we must be allowed to sell our own books, otherwise where is the preaching? So do not sign any more contracts until I have considered the matter thoroughly. If we purchase their books at 50%, then they must also purchase our books at 50%, and we must have the right to sell any amount, and we must be reimbursed for the amount we have spent preparing the Bhagavad-gita As It Is manuscripts and picture-pages.
Now if you cannot handle the matter nicely, that is your fault. But the success of your preaching will be substantiated by how many books are sold. Anything you want to sell, you have to a little canvass, so he gives some money for the service of Krsna. That is his good luck and he gets the chance to read some transcendental knowledge. But if you only irritate and he goes away, that is your less intelligence.
Page Title: | Krsna is canvassing... |
Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Gopinath |
Created: | 03 of Mar, 2010 |
Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=3, CC=0, OB=3, Lec=109, Con=33, Let=4 |
No. of Quotes: | 152 |