Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.23 Devotee: yatha hrsikesa khalena devaki kamsena ruddhaticiram sucarpita vimocitaham ca sahatmaja vibho tvayaiva nathena muhur vipad-ganat “O Hrsikesa, master of the senses and Lord of lords, You have released Your mother, Devaki, who was long imprisoned and distressed by the envious King Kamsa, and me and my children from a series of constant dangers.” Prabhupada: So this is the position of devotees, that Devaki who happens to be the mother of Krsna… She’s not ordinary woman. Who can become the mother of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? The most advanced devotee, so that Krsna has agreed to become her son. In his previous life, the husband and wife, they underwent severe austerities, and when Krsna appeared before them and wanted to give them benediction, they wanted a son like God. So where can be another person who is equal to God? That is not possible. God means there is no equal. There is no greater. Asamordhva. That is God. God, there cannot be any competition, that “You are God, I am God, he is God, he is God.” No. These are dogs. They are not God. God means without competition: one. God is one. Nobody is great… asamordhva. Nobody is greater than Him. Nobody is equal to Him. Everyone is lower. Ekale isvara krsna ara saba bhrtya. The only master is Krsna, God; and everyone, servant. Never mind. Even if he’s Brahma, Visnu or Siva, big, big demigods. And what to speak of others? Siva-virinci-nutam. In the sastra it is said that He’s offered respect by Lord Siva and Lord Brahma. They are the topmost demigods. There are demigods. Above the human beings, there are demigods. As we are human being above the lower creatures, lower animals, similarly, above us there are demigods. And the most important demigod is Lord Brahma, Lord Siva. Lord Brahma is the creator of this universe, and Lord Siva is the destroyer of this universe. And Lord Visnu is the maintainer. Lord Visnu is Krsna Himself. So for the maintenance of this material world there are three gunas, sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. So each one of them has taken charge of one department. So Lord Visnu has taken the department of sattva-guna, and Lord Brahma has taken the department of rajo-guna, and Lord Siva has taken the department of tamo-guna. They are not under the influence of these gunas. Just like a, the superintendent of jail. He’s not a prisoner; he’s controlling officer. Similarly Lord Siva, Lord Visnu, Lord Brahma, although they are controlling each department, they are not under the controlling department. We may not commit mistake. So Hrsikesa. Krsna is the supreme controller. Hrsika. Hrsika means senses. So we are enjoying our senses, but ultimately the controller is Krsna. Suppose this is my hand. I’m claiming it is my hand: “I shall give you a good fist on your…” I’m very much proud. But I am not controller. The controller is Krsna. If you, if He withdraws the power of the activity of your arm, you become paralyzed. Although you are claiming, “It is my hand. I shall use it,” but when it is paralyzed, you cannot do anything. Therefore I may have possessed this hand by the grace of Krsna, but I am not the controller. That is Krsna consciousness. Therefore a sane man will think that ultimately if this hand is to be controlled by Krsna. Then it meant for Krsna. This is the common sense understanding. I am claiming that “This is my hand, this is my leg, this is my ear.” Even children says. You ask the children, “What is this?” “It is my hand.” But we may claim, but actually it is not our hand. It is given for… Because I wanted to use my hands in so many ways, Krsna has given: “All right, you take this hand. Use it.” So it is gift of Krsna. Therefore a sane man is always conscious that “Whatever I have got in my possession, first of all, this body and senses, they are actually not mine. I have given all these possessions for utility. So if ultimately everything belongs to Krsna, why it is not utilized for Krsna?” That is Krsna consciousness. That is Krsna consciousness. That is intelligence. If I am given all these things for my use, for my sense gratification, but ultimately it belongs to Krsna… Mamaivamso jiva-bhutah [Bg. 15.7]. Everyone is part and parcel of Krsna, so everyone’s senses are also Krsna’s. So when, when the senses are utilized for Krsna’s service, that is perfection of life. And so long it is utilized for my sense gratification, it is maya. Therefore bhakti means hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Hrsikena by the senses, this hrsikesa-sevanam, when you serve Hrsikesa, really master of the senses, that is called bhakti. Very simple description, definition of bhakti. Hrsikena…, hrsikesa-sevanam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Hrsikesa-sevanam. Not hrsika-sevanam. Hrsika means senses. So when senses are used for sense gratification, that is maya. And when senses are used for the gratification of the master of the senses, that is called bhakti. A very simple definition. Anyone can understand. So generally, in this material world, everyone is using the senses for sense gratification. That’s all. That is their bondage. That is maya, illusion. And when he comes to Krsna consciousness, purified, when he understands that actually these senses are meant for satisfying Krsna, then he’s liberated person, mukta. Mukta-purusa. Liberated person. Iha yasya harer dasye karmana manasa vaca. When one comes to this position, that “My senses are meant for serving the master of the senses, Hrsikesa…” The master of the senses are, is sitting within your heart. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, sarvasya caham hrdi sannivistah: “I am seated in everyone’s heart.” Mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca: [Bg. 15.15] “From Me remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness is coming.” So why that? Because Krsna is so merciful, if I want to use my senses in a certain way, not my senses… It is Krsna’s, given. So Krsna gives the chance: “All right, utilize it.” Suppose I have got tongue. If I want, “Krsna, I want to eat stool. I want to taste stool,” “Yes,” Krsna will say. “Yes, you take this body of hog, and eat stool.” The master is there, Krsna. Therefore Krsna says, mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca [Bg. 15.15]. He gives you the body, reminds you, “My dear living entity, you wanted to eat stool? Now you have got a proper body. Now utilize. Here is stool also.” Similarly, if you want to become demigod, that also Krsna gives you chance. Anything… There are 8,400,000 forms of life. If you want to engage your senses in any type of body, Krsna is giving you: “Come on. Here is the body. You take.” But we become exasperated by using our senses. Ultimately we become senseless. Therefore Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: [Bg. 18.66] “Don’t do like this. Your senses are meant for serving Me. So you are misusing it. By misusing, you are being entrapped in different types of body; therefore to get relief from this tedious business of accepting one body and giving it up, again another body, again another… To continue this material existence, if you give up this process of sense gratification and surrender unto Me, then you are saved.” This is Krsna consciousness. So at the present moment, our senses are contaminated. I am thinking, “I am American, so my senses should be utilized for the service of my country, my society, my nation.” Big, big leaders, big, big so many things. So the real concept is that “I am American, so my senses are American senses. So it must be utilized for America.” Similarly Indians thinking, others are thinking. But none of them do know it that senses belong to Krsna. This is ignorance. No intelligence. They are thinking for the time being, that these senses, upadhi, designated… American senses, Indian senses, African senses. No. This is called maya. It is covered. Therefore bhakti means sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. When your senses will be uncontaminated with all these designations, that is the beginning of bhakti. If I think, “I am American. Why shall I take Krsna consciousness? It is Hindu God,” that is foolishness. If I think “I am Muhammadan,” “I am Christian,” then you are gone. But if we purify the senses that “I am spirit soul. The Supreme Spirit Soul is Krsna. I am part and parcel of Krsna; therefore it is my duty to serve Krsna,” then you become free immediately. Immediately. You are no more American, Indian or African or this or that. You are Krsna-ized, Krsna conscious. That is wanted. Therefore Kuntidevi says, “Hrsikesa, my dear Krsna, You are the master of the senses, and for the sense gratification, we are fallen in this material condition of life, different varieties of life.” So we are suffering, and suffering to the extent, even one becomes Krsna’s mother… Because this is material world, she’s also put into suffering, what to speak of others? Devaki is so advanced that she has become the mother of Krsna, but still she’s put into difficulties. And difficulties by whom? By his brother, Kamsa. So this world is like that. Try to understand. Even you become Krsna’s mother, and even your brother, who is very nearest relative. So you, the world is such jealous, that if one’s personal interest is hampered, everyone will be ready to give you trouble. This is the world. Everyone. Even if he’s brother, even he’s father. What to speak of others? Khalena. Khala means jealous. This material world is jealous, envious. I am envious of you; you are envious of me. This is our business. This is our business. Therefore this Krsna consciousness movement is for such person who is no more jealous, who’s no more envious. Perfect person. Dharmah projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam vastavam vastu vedyam atra [SB 1.1.2]. Those who are jealous and envious, they are within this material world. And those who are not jealous, they are in the spiritual world. Simple thing. You test yourself, “Whether I am jealous, envious of my other associates, friends, everything?” Then I am in the material world. And if I am not jealous, then I’m in the spiritual world. Anyone can test. There is no question of whether I’m spiritually advanced or not. You can test yourself. Bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra syat [SB 11.2.42]. Just like if you are eating, you’ll understand whether you are satisfied, whether your hunger is satisfied. You haven’t got to take certificate from others. Similarly, if you test yourself whether you are jealous, whether you are envious, then you are in the material world. And if you are not jealous, if you are not envious, then in the spiritual world. Then you can serve Krsna very nicely if you are not jealous. Because our jealous, enviousness has begin, began from Krsna. Just like the Mayavadis: “Why Krsna shall be God? I am, I am also God. I am also.” So this is the beginning of material life, to become envious of Krsna.“Why Krsna shall be enjoyer? I shall be enjoyer. Why Krsna shall enjoy the gopis? I shall become Krsna and enjoy, make a society of gopis and enjoy.” This is maya. Nobody can be enjoyer. Krsna therefore says, bhoktaram yajna… Sri Krsna is the only enjoyer. And if we supply ingredients for His enjoyment, that is our perfection of life. And if we want to imitate Krsna, that “I shall becoming God. I shall become an imitator enjoyer,” then you are in the maya. Simply our business is… Just like the gopis’ life. Krsna is enjoying, and they’re supplying the ingredients of enjoyment. Yes. This is bhakti. We are meant for… Krsna is supplying… The servant and master. The servant is being supplied all the necessities by the master, but the servant’s duty is to serve the master. That’s all. Eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam… These are the Vedic inform… Krsna is supplying you immense…, all the necessities of life. There is no scarcity. There is no economic problem. You simply try to serve Krsna. Then everything is complete. Because He’s Hrsikesa. And so much… If Krsna desires, there may be ample supplies. Just like in your country, there is ample supplies. In other country… I went to Switzerland: everything is imported. No supply. The supply is only, only snow. Take as much snow as you like. You see. Similarly everything is under the control of Krsna. If you become devotee, then there is no snow supply— simply food supply. And if you don’t become devotee, be covered with snow. That’s all. Covered with cloud. Everything is under Krsna’s control. So actually there is no scarcity. The scarcity is Krsna consciousness. So if you become Krsna conscious then everything is ample. There is no scarcity. This is the process. Tvaya hrsikesa… And here it is said: tvaya hrsi… Yatha hrsikesa khalena devaki. The world is full of dangers. But Devaki, Kuntidevi says, “But because Devaki is Your devotee, You saved her from the distresses offered by her envious brother.” As soon as the brother heard that “My sister’s son, eighth son of my sister will kill me,” oh, he was ready immediately to kill Devaki. So he was pacified by Devaki’s husband. It is the duty of the husband to give protection. “So my dear brother-in-law, why you are envious to your sister? After all, your sister will not kill you. Her son will kill you. That is the problem. So I shall deliver all the sons to you, then you can do whatever you like. Why you are killing this innocent girl, newly married? She is your younger sister, just like your daughter. You should give her protection. What you are doing this?” So Kamsa became pacified. He believed in the words of Vasudeva, that he’ll deliver all the sons, “And if you like, can kill.” He thought, “Let me save the present situation. After all, later on, mean, Kamsa gets a nephew; he may forget this enviousness.” But he’s never, never to forget. Yes. He killed all the sons and kept them in prison. sucarpita ruddha aticiram. Aticiram means for long time. So he was saved. Devaki was saved after all. Similarly if we take the position of Devaki and Kunti… Kunti, just like with her sons, Panca-Pandava, five Pandavas… After she became widow, the whole plan was, Dhrtarastra’s, “How to kill these children of my younger brother? Because, by chance, I was blind, so I could not get the throne of the kingdom. My younger brother got it. Now he’s dead. So at least my sons, they should get the throne.” That was his policy, Dhrtarastra’s policy: “I could not get.” This is material propensities. “I shall be happy. My sons shall be happy. My community shall be happy. My nation shall be happy.” These are extended selfishness. Nobody’s thinking Krsna, how Krsna will be happy. Everyone is thinking in his own terms: “How I shall be happy, how my children shall be happy, my community shall be happy, my society shall be happy, my natio…” This is the struggle for existence. Everywhere you’ll find it. This is material existence. Nobody’s thinking how Krsna will be happy. Therefore this Krsna consciousness is very sublime. Try to understand from Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita. And hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam [Cc. Madhya 19.170], and try to engage your senses for the service of the master of the senses. Then you’ll be happy. Thank you very much. (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Los Angeles, April 15, 1973