BG 6.47 – How to Get Krishna to Steal Our Hearts

Giriraj Swami: Reading from Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Chapter Six, “Dhyana-yoga,” 

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

TEXT 47

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
sa me yukta-tamo mataḥ

TRANSLATION

And of all yogīs, the one with great faith who always abides in Me, thinks of Me within himself and renders transcendental loving service to Me – he is the most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all. That is My opinion.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The word bhajate is significant here. Bhajate has its root in the verb bhaj, which is used when there is need of service. The English word “worship” cannot be used in the same sense as bhaj. Worship means to adore, or to show respect and honor to the worthy one. But service with love and faith is especially meant for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One can avoid worshiping a respectable man or a demigod and may be called discourteous, but one cannot avoid serving the Supreme Lord without being thoroughly condemned. Every living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus every living entity is intended to serve the Supreme Lord by his own constitution. Failing to do this, he falls down. The Bhāgavatam (11.5.3) confirms this as follows:

ya eṣāṁ puruṣaṁ sākṣād
ātma-prabhavam īśvaram
na bhajanty avajānanti
sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ

“Anyone who does not render service and neglects his duty unto the primeval Lord, who is the source of all living entities, will certainly fall down from his constitutional position.”

COMMENT

So someone may give the argument that, “I am a good person. I try to do good to others. I don’t want to harm anyone. What is wrong if I don’t worship God? Why do I have to serve God?” Here Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam explains the reason: God is the origin of all living entities, and He is also the origin of you. He is your father, so how can you neglect to serve your father? How can you neglect to obey your father? Your duty is to serve Him and obey Him.

Now here in the verse, two words are mentioned, na bhajanty avajānanti. Na bhajanty means that the person fails to serve the Lord or worship the Lord, and avajānanti means that the person mocks at the Lord or finds fault with the Lord. So as said in Bhagavad-gītā, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā, fools and rascals deride the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. So definitely, they are condemned. Sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ, they fall from their position in varnashrama-dharma. But someone may say that “I don’t deride the Lord. I don’t blaspheme the Lord. I don’t find fault with the Lord. I just don’t worship him. What is the fault?” So na bhajanty means that the person doesn’t worship the Lord; he doesn’t deride him, but he doesn’t worship him either. But again, because the Supreme Lord is the supreme father of every living entity, we cannot neglect him.

Someone may be not concerned with the Lord at all, whether he exists or not. So someone may say, “Well, I don’t know if God exists or not, and I don’t really care. I am doing my duty, and I am trying to do good to others, so what difference does it make?” But the son is supposed to know who his father is. The son cannot claim ignorance. He said, “I don’t know who my father is. I don’t know if I have any father, so I don’t do any service to any father.” But the son is supposed to know who his father is. The son cannot be unconcerned or uninterested. If a son doesn’t know who his father is, then the son is—there is something wrong with the son. So, sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ, he falls down from his position in varnashrama-dharma because, in the previous verse from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is not quoted here, the Lord is said to be the origin of all members of the social body. From the head of the Lord come the brahmans; from the arms of the Lord come the Kshatriyas; from the belly of the Lord come the vaishya; and from the legs of the Lord come the sudras. So the Lord is the origin of all persons in all positions of life, and therefore, in whatever position one may be situated, he should know the Lord, who is the origin of Himself. And if he does not serve the Lord, then he falls down from his position.

We have practical experience that some people or some devotees want to be good householders according to varnashrama-dharma. They want to take care of their wife and children, but if they neglect to serve the Lord or worship the Lord, they will fall down from their position. How? Because life is such that there are always difficulties, there are always calamities, and some calamity comes upon the person. And if a person is not engaged in the service of the Lord, he may have some doubts about the Lord. “Why did the Lord allow this to happen to me? Why did the Lord force me to suffer?” And the person will commit offenses against the Lord. Then he will think, “What is the use of following varnashrama-dharma?” And by neglecting the rules and regulations of varnashrama-dharma, he will fall down. Because the beginning of human life, unless one follows by varnashrama-dharma, he is considered an animal because he has no regulation like an animal. Therefore, dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ, that without dharma, one is on the same level as an animal. So, although he is trying to follow, but he is not engaged in the service of the Lord, he will fall down from his position in varnashrama-dharma. That means he will become unregulated like an animal, and being unregulated, he will engage in all sorts of sinful activities, and he will go to hell. So one cannot avoid the service of the Lord. If one neglects the service of the Lord, he will fall down.

PURPORT (continued)

In this verse also the word bhajanti is used. Therefore, bhajanti is applicable to the Supreme Lord only, whereas the word “worship” can be applied to demigods or to any other common living entity. The word avajānanti, used in this verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, is also found in the Bhagavad-gītā. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ: “Only the fools and rascals deride the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa.” Such fools take it upon themselves to write commentaries on the Bhagavad-gītā without an attitude of service to the Lord. Consequently they cannot properly distinguish between the word bhajanti and the word “worship.”

COMMENT

So many persons have commented on Bhagavad-gītā, so many politicians, but if they don’t serve the Supreme Lord, if they deride the Supreme Lord, then they are called mūḍhā, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā, those who deride the Lord are fools or rascals. Much they write commentaries on Bhagavad-gītā, and people accept them as great authorities because they themselves are ignorant. They don’t know. So the blind follows the blind and all end in the ditch, which means they all fall down and go to hell.

PURPORT (continued)

The culmination of all kinds of yoga practices lies in bhakti-yoga. All other yogas are but means to come to the point of bhakti in bhakti-yoga.

COMMENT

So the Sanskrit word yoga means to link or to connect the individual soul to the supreme soul. Actually, the individual soul can only be happy in union with the supreme soul. If he is separated from his relationship with God, he cannot be happy. So yoga means to make oneself or connect oneself with God. There are different methods of yoga, even in the Bhagavad-gītā. In the Second Chapter, there is Sankhya-yoga; in the Third Chapter, there is karma-yoga; in the Fourth Chapter, there is jnana-yoga; and here in the Sixth Chapter, there is dhyana-yoga or meditation. But real yoga is bhakti-yoga because one can be intimately united with the Lord only by bhakti.

PURPORT (continued)

Yoga actually means bhakti-yoga; all other yogas are progressions toward the destination of bhakti-yoga. From the beginning of karma-yoga to the end of bhakti-yoga is a long way to self-realization. Karma-yoga, without fruitive results, is the beginning of this path. When karma-yoga increases in knowledge and renunciation, the stage is called jñāna-yoga. When jñāna-yoga increases in meditation on the Supersoul by different physical processes, and the mind is on Him, it is called aṣṭāṅga-yoga. And when one surpasses the aṣṭāṅga-yoga and comes to the point of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa, it is called bhakti-yoga, the culmination. Factually, bhakti-yoga is the ultimate goal, but to analyze bhakti-yoga minutely one has to understand these other yogas. The yogī who is progressive is therefore on the true path of eternal good fortune. One who sticks to a particular point and does not make further progress is called by that particular name: karma-yogī, jñāna-yogī or dhyāna-yogī, rāja-yogī, haṭha-yogī, etc. If one is fortunate enough to come to the point of bhakti-yoga, it is to be understood that he has surpassed all other yogas. Therefore, to become Kṛṣṇa conscious is the highest stage of yoga, just as, when we speak of Himālayan, we refer to the world’s highest mountains, of which the highest peak, Mount Everest, is considered to be the culmination.

COMMENT

So, in the previous verse, Lord Krishna has stated,

tapasvibhyo ‘dhiko yogī
jñānibhyo ‘pi mato ‘dhikaḥ
karmibhyaś cādhiko yogī
tasmād yogī bhavārjuna

TRANSLATION

A yogī is greater than the ascetic, greater than the empiricist and greater than the fruitive worker. Therefore, O Arjuna, in all circumstances, be a yogī.

So a yogi is higher than anyone else; therefore, one should become a yogi. Just like the Himalayan mountains are higher than any other terrain, but even within the Himalayan mountains, Mount Everest is the highest. So, even though the yogis are higher than everyone else, among the yogis, bhakti yogi is the highest.

PURPORT (continued)

It is by great fortune that one comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness on the path of bhakti-yoga to become well situated according to the Vedic direction. The ideal yogī concentrates his attention on Kṛṣṇa, who is called Śyāmasundara, who is as beautifully colored as a cloud, whose lotuslike face is as effulgent as the sun, whose dress is brilliant with jewels, and whose body is flower-garlanded. Illuminating all sides is His gorgeous luster, which is called the brahma-jyotir. He incarnates in different forms such as Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, and Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He descends like a human being, as the son of mother Yaśodā, and He is known as Kṛṣṇa, Govinda, and Vāsudeva. He is the perfect child, husband, friend, and master, and He is full with all opulences and transcendental qualities. If one remains fully conscious of these features of the Lord, he is called the highest yogī.

COMMENT

According to the verse, one should always reside in the Lord or always be conscious of the Lord. So, how to be conscious of the Lord? Srila Prabhupada is explained here in the purport: Shyamasundara, he is as beautifully colored as a cloud, his lotus-like face is as fragrant as the sun, his dress is brilliant with jewels, and his body is flower-garlanded. There was one great transcendentalist named Śukadeva Gosvami who was in the womb situated in transcendence, and he did not want to come out of the womb because he thought that ‘God is everywhere—inside the womb and outside the womb. So there is no need to come outside the womb, and if I come outside, there will be so many attractions of maya, so many distractions caused by maya. So why should I come out? Inside and outside are the same, so I will stay where I am.’ He stayed within the womb for sixteen years and did not come out of the womb, and his father and mother were so upset. The father’s name was Vyasadeva, who himself is one of the greatest yogis.

Vyasadeva approached Lord Krishna and prayed to him that his son would not come out of the womb, so please do something. Lord Krishna came and personally assured Śukadeva Gosvami within the womb that he should not be afraid to come out. Lord Krishna himself gave personal guarantee of protection to Śukadeva Gosvami. Lord gave personal protection to him. Then Śukadeva Gosvami came out of the womb, and he was already sixteen years old from living within the womb. He had no attachment to mother or father or house or home or anything. As soon as he came out of the womb, he left the house and went into the forest. He decided that he would just wander the face of the earth, being absorbed in God-consciousness. As he was leaving the house and going into the forest, his father Vyasadeva was crying out, “Oh my son, my son, don’t go, don’t go, come back, come back!” But the only reply that the father got was the echo from the trees; there was no reply at all from his son.

The father thought, What to do? I have to get my son back. Then he sent some of his disciples into the forest to Śukadeva Gosvami, and the disciples recited two verses from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam because Gosvami was fixed in the impersonal conception of the absolute truth, he was not attracted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. Vyasadeva was a great devotee of Lord Krishna, and he wanted to speak about Krishna to his son. He wanted his son to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from him. So, he sent two disciples into the forest after Śukadeva Gosvami, and each recited a wonderful verse from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. When Śukadeva Gosvami heard the verses, although he was completely devoid of any material attraction, he became attracted, which proves that the form of the Lord, the qualities of the Lord, and the pastimes of the Lord are all transcendental; they are not material.

One verse described the form of the Lord, and one verse described the mercy of the Lord. The verse describing the form of the Lord comes from the Tenth Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: His head is decorated with the peacock feather in His hair, how His transcendental form is bent in three places, and how He played upon His flute, and so on. The other verse described the mercy of the Lord, that Pūtanā, the she-demoness came with poison on her breast to kill the Lord, but the Lord was so kind and merciful that He accepted her as His mother and elevated her to the position of mother in the spiritual world. So who can be more merciful than my Lord Krishna, and of whom else should I take shelter? No one else, because no one else is as merciful as He.

So, being attracted by the two verses of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śukadeva Gosvami returned home to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the Vyasadeva. We should meditate on Krishna as described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or described in Brahma-saṁhitā, and we should become captivated by the attractive features of Krishna like the gopīs. The verse that was recited to Śukadeva Gosvami in the forest described how the gopīs saw Lord Krishna and how beautiful He appeared to them. Lord Krishna Himself is the origin of all incarnations; so many incarnations come from Krishna. By thinking of Krishna, we can also think of Him as the origin of all incarnations, and when we see the beauty of Narayana or the beauty of Rama, we can think, Oh, Krishna is so beautiful; He has come in the form of Narayana, or he has come in the form of Rama; he is so attractive.” He descends like a human being as the son of mother Yasoda, and He is known as Krishna. We can meditate on Krishna in all of His opulences. He is all-powerful, He is all-pervading, He is all-knowing. We can meditate on God as the Almighty, or we can meditate on God as the son of Mother Yasoda that He is just like a human being, just like a cowherd boy. The residents of Vrindavan don’t know Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead; they only know Him as the beautiful son of Nanda Maharaja and Mother Yasoda. Only sometimes do the residents of Vrindavan hear that Krishna is the Personality of Godhead, but they don’t believe it; they don’t give it importance. They hear it, but sometimes when they are in a particular type of mood, they mention it.

When Krishna played upon His flute and called the gopīs to come and meet Him. And after spending some time with the gopīs, Krishna left them. Because the gopīs loved Krishna so much, they were plunged into the ocean of separation from Krishna when He left them. In separation from Krishna, they sang some beautiful songs. In verse, they say, na khalu gopīkā-nandano bhavān, that, “You are not the son of Mother Yasoda, but you are actually the indwelling Lord within the heart.” The statement of the gopīs appears to be a glorification of Krishna that “You are not the son of Mother Yasoda. You are actually the super soul within the heart. But what they are actually saying is something different. They are saying that Mother Yasoda is so kind and compassionate that she cannot bear to see any distress in any person. As soon as she sees even the slightest distress in any person, her heart melts, and she cannot tolerate it. She will do whatever she can to remove the person’s misery. But you are not like her at all. We are suffering in separation from you, and you are not doing anything to relieve our distress. So you can’t be the son of Mother Yasoda because you don’t have any of her good qualities. You must be the super soul within the heart because the super soul within the heart is always neutral. Even if a person is in the greatest agony, he suffers from some terrible disease, or he is about to die, the super soul within the heart remains neutral. He doesn’t interfere in the actions or reactions of the living entities.”

So, the gopīs are saying that na khalu gopīkā-nandano bhavan, you cannot be the son of Mother Yasoda; you must be the super soul within the heart. You simply witness the activities of the living entity, and even if they are crying in distress and suffering, you don’t do anything. Things which appear to be higher in one sense are actually lower, and things that appear to be lower are actually higher. Here, Srila Prabhupada is giving the idea of how we can think of Krishna. We can think of Him in so many ways, but one way is as the son of Mother Yasoda. The world reciprocates with the devotee according to the way a devotee approaches the Lord, and we can have any one of five relationships with Him. Just like there are so many relationships in the material world, we can have the same types of relationships with Krishna. But in the material world, all the relationships are temporary, whereas with Krishna, all the relationships are permanent. In the material world, we may be disappointed, but with Krishna, we will never be disappointed.

For example, in the material world, there is the relationship of servant and master. In the material world, the servant is serving the master, but he is not really serving the master; he is serving himself because he wants to get paid. If the master were to refuse to pay the servant, then the relationship of master and servant would be finished because the servant is not really serving the master; he is serving his own interest. If the master doesn’t fulfill his interest, then he will leave the master. So there is no real servant or real master; everything is based on an exchange of goods and services for personal benefit.

Then, friends. Everyone wants some friend who will understand him, who will sympathize with him in his pain, who will be happy in his gain, and who will be able to help him in the hard struggle of life. So everybody wants a good friend, but in the material world, we don’t get good friends. We want our friend to understand us, but our friends misunderstand us. We want our friends to help us, but when we want their help, they are not ready to help us. Or even if they want to help us, they can’t do anything; they themselves are helpless like we are. But if we make Krishna our friend, then He will be the perfect friend. He will always understand us in every respect, and he will always help us. He is willing to help us, and he is able to help us.

Every parent wants a good child, a good son, but sometimes they are disappointed because the son doesn’t end up the way they want. Sometimes he dies even, and they suffer so much because he dies even before the parents. But if we make Krishna our son, he will never disappoint us; he will never die. Our relationship with him will be eternal. Similarly, lover and beloved—whatever relationship we want in this world, we can get it in the most perfect form with Krishna. If we want a good master, Krishna will become the best master. If we want a good friend, Krishna will become the perfect friend. If we want a nice child, Krishna will become the perfect son. Every relationship finds its perfection with Krishna, and according to our relationship with Krishna, we will meditate on Him.

This is called mad-gatena, abiding within Krishna, always thinking of Krishna. This is the most intimate form of yoga. Yoga, as we mentioned, means to become linked with Krishna or connected with Krishna. One becomes connected with Krishna in one of these relationships, and that is the most intimate connection. It is the highest perfection of yoga, and it can be achieved only by bhakti-yoga. By no other method can one get Krishna as one’s friend, son, or lover.

PURPORT (continued)

This stage of highest perfection in yoga can be attained only by bhakti-yoga, as is confirmed in all Vedic literature:

yasya deve parā bhaktir
yathā deve tathā gurau
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ
prakāśante mahātmanaḥ

“Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.” (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.23)

COMMENT

So, only by bhakti can we know the conclusion of Vedic knowledge. Actually, the goal of Vedic knowledge is to know Krishna. vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo. Only by bhakti, one knows Krishna and one actually realize Krishna. Now we have knowledge, but we don’t have realization. We hear that Krishna plays upon His flute, and the song of His flute is very beautiful. When every living entity hears the sound of Krishna’s flute in Vrindavan, he becomes stunned in ecstasy. The moving living entities become immobile; they can’t move. The immovable living entities melt and begin to shiver and tremble. We are hearing this, but we are not having actual realization of it. We are not hearing the sound of Krishna’s flute. If we were to hear the sound of Krishna’s flute, we would not be the same as we are now; we would go mad.

So, yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau, one who has implicit faith in the spiritual master and in Krishna, unto him are all the imports of Vedic knowledge revealed. Revealed not only in theory but in practical realization. That means one can have direct realization of Krishna. Only by bhakti and faith, sraddha. Here, the verse says, śraddhāvān, he is faithful. The best yogi has so much faith in guru, and Krishna, and therefore Krishna becomes pleased with him and reveals Himself to the devotees.

PURPORT (continued)

Bhaktir asya bhajanaṁ tad ihāmutropādhi-nairāsyenāmuṣmin manaḥ-kalpanam, etad eva naiṣkarmyam. “Bhakti means devotional service to the Lord which is free from desire for material profit, either in this life or in the next. Devoid of such inclinations, one should fully absorb the mind in the Supreme. That is the purpose of naiṣkarmya.” (Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad 1.15)

COMMENT

So we should absorb the mind in Krishna. Elsewhere, the Bhagavad-gītā also says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto, we should give our mind to Krishna or give our heart to Krishna. But actually, it is very difficult. Even if we want to do it, we are unable to do it. But if Krishna steals our hearts, then we can fulfill man-manā. Just like a man may be very miserly, he may be keeping so much money with so much jewelry, his wife, he can’t give it up. If we ask him to give it to Krishna, he can’t give it. But if Krishna comes or if anybody comes and steals it, then he gives it up. Otherwise, he can’t give it up. So, in the same way, we cannot really give our heart to Krishna, but if he steals it, then we can give it up; otherwise, we can’t give it. By bhakti-yoga, we can become so fortunate that Krishna will steal our hearts, steal our minds, and then we will only think of Krishna. We won’t think of anything else, and that is the perfection of yoga.

PURPORT (continued)

These are some of the means for performance of bhakti, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the highest perfectional stage of the yoga system.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Sixth Chapter of the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā in the matter of Dhyāna-yoga.

COMMENT

Are there any questions?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:49:45]

Giriraj Swami: . . . of the Lord and the demons are just the opposite. So there are demons today, but they are not very powerful. They are powerful in the sense that they may be political leaders, but they are not so powerful as the demons in the past. They don’t have mystic powers like the demons in the past, but they are demons in the sense that they are against the Lord. They are against the devotees, so they are demons, but they are tiny demons compared to the demons in the past. But they may look just like us. Once, one devotee wrote an article in Back to Godhead, “The Demons Amongst Us.” He made the point that a demon doesn’t have to look like a devil with horns coming out of his head and fire coming out of his face. He may look like an ordinary man, just like you or me, but actually, if he is against Krishna, he is a demon.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:51:20]

Giriraj Swami: Well, there are entities called ghosts. Ghosts are living entities like us, but they don’t have gross bodies. We have gross bodies, and within the gross body is the subtle body composed of mind, intelligence, and ego. The gross body is composed of earth, water, fire, air, and space. So ghosts have only subtle bodies; they have no gross bodies, but they have gross desires. So they try to possess people’s gross bodies and fulfill their gross desires through those bodies. A ghost can possess a person, and when the person is possessed by the ghost, he may have horrible thoughts, demoniac thoughts, which ordinarily he wouldn’t have, but the thoughts come by the influence of the ghost. It is possible.

Devotee: How do you know that everything that you read is true? What is your criteria for truth?

Giriraj Swami: Well, we don’t go by whether the statement appeals to us or not; we see where the statement is coming from. First now, you see, every living entity has four defects, I mean, so many defects, but in four general categories: he makes mistakes, he has imperfect senses, he is subject to illusion, and he cheats—he has the tendency to cheat. So, because every conditioned soul has such defects, no conditioned soul can have perfect knowledge. For perfect knowledge, we have to approach a perfect authority, and the most perfect authority is God, Krishna. So we take knowledge from Krishna, and if we come across any statement on any subject and we want to know whether we accept it or not, or someone wants to know whether we accept it or not, we have to see how it compares to the statements of Krishna in Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. If the statement agrees with Krishna, then we can accept this statement, and if the statement disagrees with Krishna, then we cannot accept this statement. So we have our standard of perfect knowledge, which is Krishna’s knowledge.

Just like Arjuna. Arjuna heard Bhagavad-gītā from Krishna. Krishna is the perfect speaker of Bhagavad-gītā, and Arjuna is the perfect student who has shown us how we should take the knowledge of the Gītā. In the Gītā, Arjuna tells Krishna, sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye, that “I accept as true whatever you have said in total.” So that is how we take the instructions of the Gītā, of Krishna, as true fully. We don’t accept parts and reject parts, but we accept everything that Krishna says as the absolute truth because He is God; He has perfect knowledge.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:56:35]

Giriraj Swami: Actually, the living entity can never become equal to Krishna in all respects. We can be one with God in quality, but not in quantity. Just like a drop of water from the ocean has the same quality as the ocean—if you analyze it, it has the same chemical composition as the ocean—but the quantity is different. The drop is tiny, and the ocean is huge. So we accept the principle of acintya-bhedābheda-tattva tattva, that we are simultaneously inconceivably one with God and different. We are one in quality but different in quantity. God is infinite, and we are infinitesimal, and we don’t want to have any other relationship with God. We don’t want to become God or merge and become one with God; we want to serve God because there is more pleasure in serving God than in trying to become one with God because every soul wants activity; every soul wants a relationship. So, if we merge and become one with God, formless, nameless, then we will have no activity, we will have no pleasure, we will have no relationships, we will have no affection, nothing. So we are frustrated in the material world because our attempts at relationships, our attempts at pleasure, our attempts at success are all frustrated, so we are not happy in the material world. But the real solution is not that when I have no relationship, I have no activities, I’ll have no individuality. The solution is to have spiritual relationships, spiritual activities, and spiritual happiness. So, that comes in Krishna consciousness.

Śukadeva Gosvami was already liberated in the impersonal conception. He saw that God is everywhere; God is one, God is everywhere. He is in the womb, He is outside the womb, so why should I bother? Why should I come out of the womb? But when he heard about the personality of Godhead, then he became attracted. He thought, So this is something wonderful. Although he had no material attraction at all. When Sri Śukadeva Gosvami was wandering through the forest, he was completely beyond the dualities of the material world, had no interest in material happiness. But when he heard the description of the transcendental qualities of the Lord Krishna, then he became attractive. So the form of the Lord is not material; the form of the Lord is spiritual, so it is eternal. And we want to appreciate the beauty of the form of the Lord; we don’t want to merge and become one with some light, because there is no happiness in that. There may be relief from misery, but there is no positive happiness. It is negative; it is like I am suffering, so I want to commit suicide so I won’t suffer anymore. So impersonal merging is like spiritual suicide; it is negative to get relief from suffering, it is not positive. But Krishna consciousness or devotional service to Lord Krishna is positive. Now that I am diseased, so let me commit suicide, but yes, I am diseased, let me become cured and become healthy.

So material life is diseased, and Krishna consciousness is healthy, and merging and wanting to become one with God is like it is nowhere, you understand? Well, just like if you go on a boat in the ocean and all the time you just see water and water and water, you won’t feel happy. You will wish that you could go to the land, meet some people, see some places, go some places. You will get bored. So if you want to merge and become one with God, you will just be like a particle of light in a big light. What will you do? When you say, “Can you become Krishna?” you mean in what way you mean you can become Krishna?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:03:35]

Giriraj Swami: That is why Krishna is all-powerful. You cannot become all-powerful. Even if you practice yoga, you cannot become all-powerful. All of the universes are coming from Krishna, so do you think that if you practice yoga, then all the universes will come from you?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:04:30]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, so you are not Krishna. The conclusion is you are not Krishna.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:05:05]

Giriraj Swami: Well, I think some of them have come across me. What happened? Well, when you are sleeping, they try to take advantage to come, and then you get some very dreadful feeling, like something like a bad dream. Worse than a bad dream, and I don’t know, you just like know that you are being attacked by a ghost. Then you try to chant because by chanting, they fly away. There is like a struggle. They are trying to assert their force, and your will has to be stronger than them. So even though it is very difficult to chant when they are trying to control you, you just have to force yourself to chant. And if you can chant, then the ghost will go away.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:40:45]

Giriraj Swami: Well, we don’t say that they are bad, but they do have gross material desires. How does someone become a ghost? Usually someone becomes a ghost due to intense material attachment, like if someone commits suicide. So he commits suicide because he wants to become free from the gross body. But why does he commit suicide? He commits suicide because he is frustrated, because he has very strong material desires, and he is frustrated. So out of frustration or disappointment, he commits suicide. So okay, you didn’t want to have a gross body, so okay, you don’t have a gross body, but you still have gross desires. The reason you committed suicide in the first place is because you had gross desires which were not fulfilled. So you still have the desires, but you don’t have the physical body to fulfill them, so you try to possess the physical body of someone else. Generally, ghosts are disturbing elements. It is not a good birth.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:08:40]

Giriraj Swami: Oh, well, if Krishna steals your heart or your mind, you won’t be able to do your work properly. So you should not go near Krishna; otherwise, everything will become upset. There is a story that every morning Krishna would take the calves and cowherd boys into the pasturing ground, and then every afternoon He would return. During the day, all of the residents of Vrindavan would feel so much separation, and they would just be waiting for the chance to see Krishna in the evening when He would return. They would just be thinking, When will He come?

One time, Krishna was attending the cows, going to attend the cows, and playing on His flute. All the members of the household wanted to leave the house and go out and have a glimpse of Krishna as He was on His way. There was one young gopī, a new gopī in the household. Her mother said, “Don’t go out of the house. We forbid you to go out of the house because Krishna is coming. He is playing on His flute; He is like a black snake, and if He bites you and His poison enters you, you will never be able to recover.” So she said, “But you all are going. You are going, my sister is going, my father is going—everybody is going to see Krishna. Only I am not allowed to see?” They said, “You are very young and inexperienced. You don’t know.” But she thought, Anyway, everyone else is going, and I am also going. So without their permission, she went out of the house, and there, some distance away, she saw Krishna. His transcendental form was covered by dust, which was raised by the hoofs of the calves. In the evening, when Krishna would return from the pasturing grounds, He looked so beautiful, His body was powdered with dust, and His hair was tousled. He was always glancing from side to side, looking at the devotees and playing on His flute.

Krishna, playing on His flute, glanced towards that gopī. He took the tail of one calf that was with Him, sort of twisted it, and then He gave the calf a little push. That calf, by the will of Krishna, came just in front of the gopī, who was standing in front of the house. Then Krishna came just in front of that gopī, and He looked at her. With His flute, He just tapped her on the head and then carried on. She was completely overwhelmed by Krishna, and her mind went with Krishna. Her mind was not with her anymore; Krishna stole her mind. She was just staring at Krishna; she wasn’t doing anything. Her mother said, “Come on now, come on, go back in the house. You have to do some work.” But she was just standing and staring, looking at Krishna going in the distance, and she wasn’t responding because her mind was gone. Her mind was with Krishna. Then the elders in the family thought, “She is not in good condition. We have to give her some work so that she will come back to this world.” So they said, “Okay, you should groom the floor.” But she took the broom, holding the bristles in her hand, and only the stick was sweeping the floor because her mind was stolen by Krishna.

Then they gave her some other duties, like churning butter, but anyway, she was doing everything wrong because her mind was not with her. Finally, they thought, “Okay, we have to really give her something that will occupy her mind.” So they gave her some water pots to go to the well to fetch water. On her head, there were several water pots. Then they gave her two babies from the household, so under each arm, she was carrying a baby, and in her hand, she was carrying a rope. So, okay, she had her water pots on her head, two babies, and a rope, and she was walking to the well. When she got to the well, she was supposed to tie the rope around the water pot and put the water pot into the well to draw the water. But instead of putting the rope around the water pot, she put it around the neck of the baby and was just about to put the baby in the well because her mind was not with her; her mind was with Krishna. It was stolen by Krishna. So you should not go to Krishna because your career, your duties, your responsibilities—everything will be spoiled.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:17:05]

Giriraj Swami: Actually, Krishna is all-attractive. The very name Krishna means all-attractive, so the pure soul will naturally be attracted to Krishna. The only reason that we are not attracted is because we are covered by material contamination. Like iron is naturally attracted to a magnet, but when the iron is covered by rust, it is not attracted. But if the rust is removed from the iron, then it will automatically be attracted to the magnet. So Krishna is all-attractive, but we are not attracted because we are covered by material contamination. But if we remove the material covering, then naturally we will be attracted to Krishna. The best way to remove it is by chanting.

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ. Chanting the holy name removes the dust that covers the living entity, and then the living entity will become attracted to Krishna, and Krishna will help; He will do His part.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:19:18]

Giriraj Swami: Actually, in our conception of God, God is both male and female. The male is called Krishna, and the female is called Radha. When we chant, Hare Krishna. Hare refers to Radharani, and Krishna refers to Krishna, so both are there—male and female. Why did you ask?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:20:20]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, you are right. In our temples, we worship Radha and Krishna. See the picture on the right there? That is Radha and Krishna, so we worship Radha and Krishna together. Krishna is masculine and Radha is feminine. But actually, they are not male or female as we know in this world. They actually have nothing to do with the male and female of this world. They are in a different category altogether, so we cannot judge them by the males of this world or the females of this world. They are really in a different category, but still, in a spiritual sense, we can say Krishna is male and Radha is female.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 01:22:00]

Giriraj Swami: Well, in order to go to the spiritual world, we have to be completely free from material desire. So, there are males and females in the spiritual world. The females in the spiritual world are millions and trillions of times more beautiful, more attractive, and more pleasing than the females here. But still, in the spiritual world, there is no action of mundane passion because everyone is experiencing transcendental ecstasy and love of Godhead.

Although there are women there, and they are millions and trillions of times more beautiful than the women here, there is no material passion there. Everyone is fully satisfied in service to God, and they have no other interests. So now, we will have a little chanting and then prasāda.

Srila Prabhupada kī jaya!