Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, "Kṛṣṇa is situated everyone's heart." And He's studying the inclination of the living entity, that he wants to enjoy this material world like this. So parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8, CC Madhya 13.65, purport). He hasn't got to do anything personally. He orders the material nature, "This living entity wants to enjoy like this. Give him the . . . this machine." So you get this machine. We have got this machine. A living entity, he does not discriminate of eating; whatever he gets, he eats. So Kṛṣṇa says that, "He wants to eat everything. So give him this machine, hog's body, so that there will be no discrimination." "He wants to remain naked. All right. Give him this body for five thousand years, standing naked as tree." The life was meant for understanding Kṛṣṇa, but he is cultivating the culture of naked civilization, how to become naked. "So all right, next time you'll remain naked for many thousands of years, standing in one place as tree." This is going on. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ (BG 15.15).
So we have to understand the activities of Kṛṣṇa. He's not dull-headed, nirākāra. Why nirākāra? He is acting in so many ways, and who acts in different ways unless He's a person? This is the conclusion. Unless He's a person, how He can act in so many different ways, according to circumstances? Just like we are receiving so many letters from different centers. So unless I am a person, how can I give direction? It is not a dull stone. So Kṛṣṇa is not dull stone. Therefore we have to study Kṛṣṇa's activities. And if we can study Kṛṣṇa's activities, if we can understand Kṛṣṇa's birth and activities, janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9), immediately we become liberated.
So these books, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, are there, and many other books, Purāṇas and others. They are simply describing the activities of Kṛṣṇa so that you can understand Kṛṣṇa. That . . . there is a verse in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: anādi bahirmukha jīva nāhi jñāna, kṛṣṇa . . . means, "From since a very, very long time, he has forgotten Kṛṣṇa." Just like anyone you can ask, in this country even, and what to speak of others that, "Do you know Kṛṣṇa?" So you'll find so many, I mean to say, major portion people, will say: "No, we do not know what is Kṛṣṇa." Just like our Śyāmasundara's daughter, Sarasvatī. She preaches, "Do you know what is Kṛṣṇa?" Even one knows, because he (she) is child, "No, no. I do not know." "Oh, Supreme Personality of Godhead," she will say. She is so intelligent. She will say. So similarly, we can do. We can do Kṛṣṇa's service like this. Even a child can do. You go. As Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). That becomes . . . you becomes spiritual master. If you take this vow that, "I'll preach only Kṛṣṇa," then you are spiritual master. You become spiritual . . .
- yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa
- āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa
- (CC Madhya 7.128)
Just like that child, Sarasvatī, is preaching, "Do you know Kṛṣṇa?" He says: "No." "He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Simply say like that, "He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead," and "Chant His holy name, Hare Kṛṣṇa." If you do this, then you are preacher, you are spiritual master. It is so nice.
You don't require to become very . . . Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). He does not say that you become a learned Vedic scholar. That is the goal of Vedic scholarship. If you simply know that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then your Vedic study finished—you are M.A., doctor of Kṛṣṇa philosophy, simply if you know this. You may not know in details, but if you simply believe, firmly convinced that, "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is my master. He is my savior," in this way, if you accept, then you become perfect, and you become liberated.
So here one thing is specifically mentioned, that muhur vipad-gaṇāt. Muhuḥ means twenty-four hours, or always, almost twenty-four hours. Muhuḥ. Muhuḥ means "Again and again, again and again." So vipat. Vipat means "danger." And gaṇa, gaṇa means "multi"; not one kind of danger but different kinds of danger. So the muhur vipad-gaṇāt, who is suffering? Now, Kuntī. And who else is suffering? Now, Devakī. Devakī is the mother of Kṛṣṇa, and Kuntī is the aunt of Kṛṣṇa. Both of them not ordinary women. To become mother of Kṛṣṇa or to become aunt of Kṛṣṇa, it is not ordinary thing. It requires many, many lives' tapasya. Then one can become mother of Kṛṣṇa. So they were also suffering muhur vipad-gaṇāt, always vipat. Although Kṛṣṇa was their very, very easily obtain . . . obtainable personality, mother, but still . . . Devakī gave birth to Kṛṣṇa, but the danger was so horrible that she could not keep her son. It has to be immediately transferred. Just see how much vipat. How much vipat. The mother of Kṛṣṇa could not keep her son on the lap. Every mother wants, but because there were kaṁsena khalena, she could not keep. And to the Pāṇḍavas, Kṛṣṇa was constant companion. Wherever there are Pāṇḍavas, Kṛṣṇa is there. Kṛṣṇa . . . Draupadī is in danger. She was to be naked by the Kurus, Duryodhana, Duḥśāsana. The Kṛṣṇa supplied cloth. So for a woman in the assembly of so many men, if she is to be naked, it is the greatest danger. It is the greatest danger, and Kṛṣṇa saved. Similarly, Kuntī was saved . . . the dangers will be described in the later verses. She says, vimocitāhaṁ ca sahātmajā vibho (SB 1.8.23): "I was released from so many dangerous position—not only myself, but along with my sons."
So fact is that even Kuntī or Devakī, so intimately connected with Kṛṣṇa, but they had to face so many dangers, so what to speak of others? What to speak of others, ourself? So when we are danger, we are in danger, we should not be discouraged. We should take courage that even Kuntī and Vasudeva and Devakī, they were also in danger, although they were very, very intimately connected with Kṛṣṇa. So we should not be disturbed by the dangers of this material world. If we are actually Kṛṣṇa conscious, we should face the danger and depend on Kṛṣṇa. Avaśya rakhibe kṛṣṇa viśvāsa pālana (Śaraṇāgati). This is called surrender that, "I may be in danger, but Kṛṣṇa . . . I have surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. He must save me." Keep this faith. Don't be disturbed when you are in danger, because this world is such . . . padaṁ padaṁ vipadām (SB 10.14.58). Every step there is danger. Just like we are walking on the street—immediately there is some pinprick, thorn. And by pinprick of that thorn, it may become a boil, it may become dangerous. So even by walking on the street, by talking on the street, by eating our food, there . . . and in English it is said: "There is many dangers between the cup and the lip."
So you should always remember that this material world is simply full of dangers. If you think that "We are very safe; we are very expert, we have made this world very happy," then you are fool number one. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58). But if you take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, these dangers are nothing. That Kuntī will say, that vimocita. Vimocita means released from the danger. Aham. Sahātmajā, "With my . . ."
So this is the study of Kṛṣṇa, that if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, a sincere servant of Kṛṣṇa, don't be agitated by the dangerous condition of this material world. You simply depend on Kṛṣṇa, and He'll save you.