the highest method of worship

December 22, 2005

TRANSLATION SB 8.7.44

It is said that great personalities almost always accept voluntary suffering because of the suffering of people in general. This is considered the highest method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone's heart.

PURPORT

Here is an explanation of how those engaged in activities for the welfare of others are very quickly recognized by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (18.68-69), ya idam paramam guhyam mad-bhakteshv abhidhasyati. .. na ca tasman manushyeshu kascin me priya-krittamah: "One who preaches the message of Bhagavad-gita to My devotees is most dear to Me. No one can excel him in satisfying Me by worship." There are different kinds of welfare activities in this material world, but the supreme welfare activity is the spreading of Krishna consciousness. Other welfare activities cannot be effective, for the laws of nature and the results of karma cannot be checked. It is by destiny, or the laws of karma, that one must suffer or enjoy. For instance, if one is given a court order, he must accept it, whether it brings suffering or profit. Similarly, everyone is under obligations to karma and it reactions. No one can change this. Therefore the sastra says:

tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido

na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah

(Bhag. 1.5.18)

One should endeavor for that which is never obtained by wandering up and down the universe as a result of the reactions of karma. What is that? One should endeavor to become Krishna conscious. If one tries to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world, he should be understood to be performing the best welfare activity. The Lord is automatically very pleased with him. If the Lord is pleased with him, what is left for him to achieve? If one has been recognized by the Lord, even if he does not ask the Lord for anything, the Lord, who is within everyone, supplies him whatever he wants. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (tesham nityabhiyuktanam yoga-kshemam vahamy aham [bg. 9.22]). Again, as stated here, tapyante loka-tapena sadhavah prayaso janah. The best welfare activity is raising people to the platform of Krishna consciousness, since the conditioned souls are suffering only for want of Krishna consciousness. The Lord Himself also comes to mitigate the suffering of humanity.

yada yada hi dharmasya

glanir bhavati bharata

abhyutthanam adharmasya

tadatmanam srijamy aham

paritranaya sadhunam

vinasaya ca dushkritam

dharma-samsthapanarthaya

sambhavami yuge yuge

"Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion -- at that time I descend Myself. To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium." (Bg. 4.7-8) All the sastras conclude, therefore, that spreading the Krishna consciousness movement is the best welfare activity in the world. Because of the ultimate benefit this bestows upon people in general, the Lord very quickly recognizes such service performed by a devotee.

December 22, 2005

bhagavad gita as it is.......

Text 6-7

ye tu sarvani karmani

mayi sannyasya mat-parah

ananyenaiva yogena

mam dhyayanta upasate

tesam aham samuddharta

mrtyu-samsara-sagarat

bhavami na cirat partha

mayy avesita-cetasam

Synonyms

ye--those who; tu--but; sarvani--all; karmani--activities; mayi--unto Me; sannyasya--giving up; mat-parah--being attached to Me; ananyena--without division; eva--certainly; yogena--by practice of such bhakti-yoga; mam--upon Me; dhyayantah--meditating; upasate--worship; tesam--of them; aham--I; samuddharta--the deliverer; mrtyu--of death; samsara--in material existence; sagarat--from the ocean; bhavami--I become; na--not; cirat--after a long time; partha--O son of Prtha; mayi--upon Me; avesita--fixed; cetasam--of those whose minds.

Translation

But those who worship Me, giving up all their activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, having fixed their minds upon Me, O son of Prtha--for them I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death.

Purport

It is explicitly stated here that the devotees are very fortunate to be delivered very soon from material existence by the Lord. In pure devotional service one comes to the realization that God is great and that the individual soul is subordinate to Him. His duty is to render service to the Lord--and if he does not, then he will render service to maya.

As stated before, the Supreme Lord can be appreciated only by devotional service. Therefore, one should be fully devoted. One should fix his mind fully on Krsna in order to achieve Him. One should work only for Krsna. It does not matter in what kind of work one engages, but that work should be done only for Krsna. That is the standard of devotional service. The devotee does not desire any achievement other than pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His life's mission is to please Krsna, and he can sacrifice everything for Krsna's satisfaction, just as Arjuna did in the Battle of Kuruksetra. The process is very simple: one can devote himself in his occupation and engage at the same time in chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Such transcendental chanting attracts the devotee to the Personality of Godhead.

The Supreme Lord herein promises that without delay He will deliver a pure devotee thus engaged from the ocean of material existence. Those who are advanced in yoga practice can willfully transfer the soul to whatever planet they like by the yoga process, and others take the opportunity in various ways, but as far as the devotee is concerned, it is clearly stated here that the Lord Himself takes him. The devotee does not need to wait to become very experienced in order to transfer himself to the spiritual sky.

In the Varaha Purana this verse appears:

nayami paramam sthanam

arcir-adi-gatim vina

garuda-skandham aropya

yatheccham anivaritah

The purport of this verse is that a devotee does not need to practice astanga-yoga in order to transfer his soul to the spiritual planets. The responsibility is taken by the Supreme Lord Himself. He clearly states here that He Himself becomes the deliverer. A child is completely cared for by his parents, and thus his position is secure. Similarly, a devotee does not need to endeavor to transfer himself by yoga practice to other planets. Rather, the Supreme Lord, by His great mercy, comes at once, riding on His bird carrier Garuda, and at once delivers the devotee from material existence. Although a man who has fallen in the ocean may struggle very hard and may be very expert in swimming, he cannot save himself. But if someone comes and picks him up from the water, then he is easily rescued. Similarly, the Lord picks up the devotee from this material existence. One simply has to practice the easy process of Krsna consciousness and fully engage himself in devotional service. Any intelligent man should always prefer the process of devotional service to all other paths. In the Narayaniya this is confirmed as follows:

ya vai sadhana-sampattih

purusartha-catustaye

taya vina tad apnoti

naro narayanasrayah

The purport of this verse is that one should not engage in the different processes of fruitive activity or cultivate knowledge by the mental speculative process. One who is devoted to the Supreme Personality can attain all the benefits derived from other yogic processes, speculation, rituals, sacrifices, charities, etc. That is the specific benediction of devotional service.

Simply by chanting the holy name of Krsna--Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare--a devotee of the Lord can approach the supreme destination easily and happily, but this destination cannot be approached by any other process of religion.

The conclusion of Bhagavad-gita is stated in the Eighteenth Chapter:

sarva-dharman parityajya

mam ekam saranam vraja

aham tvam sarva-papebhyo

moksayisyami ma sucah

One should give up all other processes of self-realization and simply execute devotional service in Krsna consciousness. That will enable one to reach the highest perfection of life. There is no need for one to consider the sinful actions of his past life, because the Supreme Lord fully takes charge of him. Therefore one should not futilely try to deliver himself in spiritual realization. Let everyone take shelter of the supreme omnipotent Godhead, Krsna. That is the highest perfection of life.

jaya srila prabhupada and all the devotees........

J.S das

December 22, 2005

In the purport you quoted we find this:

Although a man who has fallen in the ocean may struggle very hard and may be very expert in swimming, he cannot save himself. But if someone comes and picks him up from the water, then he is easily rescued. Similarly, the Lord picks up the devotee from this material existence.

So we can assist the Lord and His devotee's in their efforts to pick up conditioned souls from this ocean of misery. And indeed we come to see this effort on our part to help Them help others is the very process they are using to rescue us. They, Krishna and guru, initiate within us the desire and love to accept suffering should it come, on behalf of pushing on the sankirtana movement in whatever way is within our power to aid in the advancement of other living entities.