Love of God should be without any motive. Motive means generally we go to temple, church, with a motive: "God, give us our daily bread." Or somebody goes to temple, comes here, "Kṛṣṇa, I am in need of this thing. Kindly give me." This is also good, because he has come to God. That is confirmed in this Bhagavad-gītā:
- catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ
- janāḥ sukṛtino 'rjuna
- ārto jijñāsur arthārthī
- jñānī ca bharatarṣabha
- (BG 7.16)
If one is in need of some money or need of some material necessities, and if he begs or if he prays to God, "Please give me," he's also considered as pious. But real religious system is to understand that God is great; I am His servant. I am supported by Him; it is my duty to serve Him. This is religion. This is called bhāgavata-dharma, to understand this philosophy, that "God is the supreme master and I am His eternal servant. My duty is to serve God." That's all. This is religion. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). And God comes to demand this, that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is real religion. We have manufactured so many religious systems, but God says that this is religion. Otherwise, why He would say, sarva-dharmān parityajya: "Give up all other types of religion"? So bhāgavata-dharma means to accept the Supreme Lord, God, as the great, and we are all His servants. Our duty is to carry out the orders of God. So here is the order of God: sarva-dharmān parityajya . . . So where Bhagavad-gītā ends, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam begins there, from that point.
So here is another instance. Prahlāda Mahārāja, he is teaching that kaumāra ācaret prajño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). Iha, in this life, our only duty is to understand the bhāgavata-dharma, how to serve God. That is the only business. There is no other business. That is the only business of human life. In another place it is stated, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayeteta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). Prahlāda Mahārāja also says here that durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma: "My dear friends, you have got this human form of body after many millions of years." Durlabha, "very rarely." That is nature's law. We are in the cycle of birth and death, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma (BG 4.9). Tathā dehāntara-prāptir: after death we shall get another body. But we do not know what kind of body we are going to get. There are 8,400,000 different types of body, and the life begins from the grass, from the ground. We have seen so many grass, and gradually the grass is eaten by some animals or insects, and then there is semina. Then the same semina becomes insect. From insect to bird, bird to beast, from beast to animals. It takes millions and millions of years to come to the form of human being. This is evolution. They do not know it, but that is the process. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. You must understand that this human form of body you have got after many millions of years. Don't waste it like animals. If we utilize this human form of body just like cats and dogs, what is the difference between my life and dog's life? Therefore he says, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ tad apy adhruvam arthadam.
So anyone can say, "This material body is there, even to the dogs and the cats, and what is the difference? Let us enjoy." No. Arthadam, in this life, in this human form of life, you can fulfill your mission. Arthadam. You can understand what is the value of life. So don't waste it. Begin bhāgavata-dharma immediately. And what is that bhāgavata-dharma?
- śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
- smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
- arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyam
- sākhyam ātma-nivedanam
- (SB 7.5.23)
Bhāgavata-dharma means beginning is hearing. That's all. Śravaṇam. You simply hear about God. You haven't got to do anything. God has given you the ear. You simply hear about God. That is the beginning of bhāgavata-dharma. It doesn't require that you have to pass M.A., Ph.D. examination, then you'll understand God. No. Very simple thing. What God says, Kṛṣṇa says, in the Bhagavad-gītā, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto (BG 18.65), you hear it from Bhagavad-gītā. God says, Kṛṣṇa says, that "You simply think of Me." Is it a very difficult task? Here is God, Kṛṣṇa. Either you say the image of God . . . We take God as He is. It is not image of God, but God Himself. He has come here in the form which you can see. God is everywhere, but unfortunately we haven't got eyes to see Him.