Preaching is the essence

[Guest guest]

präyeëa deva munayaù sva-vimukti-kämä

maunaà caranti vijane na parärtha-niñöhäù

naitän vihäya kåpaëän vimumukña eko

nänyaà tvad asya çaraëaà bhramato 'nupaçye

SYNONYMS

präyeëa—generally, in almost all cases; deva—O my Lord; munayaù—the great

saintly persons; sva—personal, own; vimukti-kämäù—ambitious for liberation from

 

this material world; maunam—silently; caranti—they wander (in places like

the Himalayan forests, where they have no touch with the activities of the

materialists); vijane—in solitary places; na—not; para-artha-niñöhäù—interested

in

working for others by giving them the benefit of the Kåñëa consciousness

movement, by enlightening them with Kåñëa consciousness; na—not; etän—these;

vihäya—leaving aside; kåpaëän—fools and rascals (engaged in materialistic

activity who do not know the benefit of the human form of life); vimumukñe—I

desire

to be liberated and to return home, back to Godhead; ekaù—alone; na—not; anyam—

other; tvat—but for You; asya—of this; çaraëam—shelter; bhramataù—of the

living entity rotating and wandering throughout the material universes;

anupaçye—

do I see.

TRANSLATION

My dear Lord Nåsiàhadeva, I see that there are many saintly persons indeed,

but they are interested only in their own deliverance. Not caring for the big

cities and towns, they go to the Himalayas or the forest to meditate with vows

of silence [mauna-vrata]. They are not interested in delivering others. As for

me, however, I do not wish to be liberated alone, leaving aside all these

poor fools and rascals. I know that without Kåñëa consciousness, without taking

 

shelter of Your lotus feet, one cannot be happy. Therefore I wish to bring them

 

back to shelter at Your lotus feet.

PURPORT

This is the decision of the Vaiñëava, the pure devotee of the Lord. For

himself he has no problems, even if he has to stay in this material world,

because

his only business is to remain in Kåñëa consciousness. The Kåñëa conscious

person can go even to hell and still be happy. Therefore Prahläda Mahäräja

said,

naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaraëyäù: "O best of the great personalities, I

am not at all afraid of material existence." The pure devotee is never unhappy

in any condition of life. This is confirmed in Çrémad-Bhägavatam (6.17.28):

näräyaëa-paräù sarve

na kutaçcana bibhyati

svargäpavarga-narakeñv

api tulyärtha-darçinaù

"Devotees solely engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality

of Godhead, Näräyaëa, never fear any condition of life. For them the heavenly

planets, liberation and the hellish planets are all the same, for such

devotees are interested only in the service of the Lord."

For a devotee, being situated in the heavenly planets and being in the

hellish planets are equal, for a devotee lives neither in heaven nor in hell

but

with Kåñëa in the spiritual world. The secret of success for the devotee is not

 

understood by the karmés and jïänés. Karmés therefore try to be happy by

material adjustment, and jïänés want to be happy by becoming one with the

Supreme.

The devotee has no such interest. He is not interested in so-called meditation

in the Himalayas or the forest. Rather, his interest is in the busiest part of

the world, where he teaches people Kåñëa consciousness. The Kåñëa

consciousness movement was started for this purpose. We do not teach one to

meditate in a

secluded place just so that one may show that he has become very much

advanced and may be proud of his so-called transcendental meditation, although

he

engages in all sorts of foolish materialistic activity. A Vaiñëava like

Prahläda

Mahäräja is not interested in such a bluff of spiritual advancement. Rather,

he is interested in enlightening people in Kåñëa consciousness because that is

the only way for them to become happy. Prahläda Mahäräja says clearly, nänyaà

tvad asya çaraëaà bhramato 'nupaçye: "I know that without Kåñëa consciousness,

without taking shelter of Your lotus feet, one cannot be happy." One wanders

within the universe, life after life, but by the grace of a devotee, a servant

of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, one can get the clue to Kåñëa consciousness and

then not only become happy in this world but also return home, back to Godhead.

 

That is the real target in life. The members of the Kåñëa consciousness

movement are not at all interested in so-called meditation in the Himalayas or

the

forest, where one will only make a show of meditation, nor are they interested

in opening many schools for yoga and meditation in the cities. Rather, every

member of the Kåñëa consciousness movement is interested in going door to door

to try to convince people about the teachings of Bhagavad-gétä As It Is, the

teachings of Lord Caitanya. That is the purpose of the Hare Kåñëa movement.

The members of the Kåñëa consciousness movement must be fully convinced that

without Kåñëa one cannot be happy. Thus the Kåñëa conscious person avoids all

kinds of pseudo spiritualists, transcendentalists, meditators, monists,

philosophers and philanthropists.