sadhu sanga, association is required

Questions and Answers

—
September 6, 1968, New York
Prabhupāda: Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is the price. That's all.
Yes?
Guest: You mentioned these miracles. The only miracle (indistinct)
who has gone beyond the material encagement. That is what
the yogi is trying, is striving to do, trying to go beyond the material
nature. When one mentions miracles, it is surely a proof that he has
actually transcended this material nature.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Guest: But why, why are they trying to transcend material,
transcend material nature? Who is doing these miracles? Or why try
to do (indistinct) Why should human beings try to do (indistinct)?
Prabhupāda: No. The yoga practice is like that. It is very good, that
"Why we should bother ourself with such things?" That is the
opinion of the devotees. The devotees, they do not want any such
miracles to perform or to make some jugglery to the people. They are
satisfied with the service of the Lord. So that is the position of the
devotee. But generally, the yogis, they want such things. There are
many instances of great yogis in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, just like
Durvāsā Muni. He wanted to show his power to Ambarīṣa Mahārāja.
That's a very nice story. I shall narrate next meeting. The yogis,
everyone, yogis... Yoga practice is, therefore... It is more or less
material activity. Because when they are powerful to show some
miracles and people become captivated, "Oh, he is performing such
miracle thing." In Benares in India there was a yogi. His business
was anyone who will go there, he immediately produced two or
four rasagullās and offer him. And many hundreds and thousands
of educated men became his disciple simply for the
matter, rasagullā, which is only four annas worth. So people want to
see this jugglery. And those who want following some or some
material achievement, they want to show... Actually it is a fact.
Suppose if I could manufacture rasagullās by
some mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, oh, thousands of people will
come immediately. You see? People want to see me, and those
persons who want to have a cheap following, they want to show such
jugglery. But a devotee sees... [break] ...is not of that mentality. They
will simply, humble servant. They are satisfied by serving the Lord.
That is devotee's position. So your statement, that "Why one should
bother with these things?" That's a very nice proposal. Why? There is
no necessity. Suppose if I can manufacture some rasagullā, what is
the worth of this rasagullā? Oh, we can, if we spend ten cents, we
can make it. So why shall I waste my energy for
manufacturing rasagullā in the yoga system? Actually,
therefore, Kṛṣṇa says that the perfection of, real perfection of yoga,
the first-class yogi is he who is always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. That is first-
class. He is recommended.
yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
sa me yuktatamo mataḥ
[Bg. 6.47]
"The first-class yogi is he who is always..." He never says that first-
class yogi is he who can show this jugglery. No. That is not
recommended. Actually, and the yoga practice
begins, samādhi. Real yoga practice is, after controlling the senses,
the next stage is samādhi, concentrate the mind, focus the mind
on Viṣṇu always. Always thinking of Viṣṇu, always
seeing Viṣṇu within himself. That is yoga practice. But by such
practice, automatically one gains such powerful things, and when
one gains such powerful powers, they want to exhibit to get following
for material achievements. But that is not the purpose
of yoga. Yoga means to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead
and ultimately reach in His kingdom. That is the real purpose
of yoga. [break] Yes?
Devotee: When they perform these miracles, (indistinct) that is
with their material body? Their material body (indistinct)?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes?
Devotee: Why do you say that Jesus Christ performed so many
miracles when he (indistinct), and you never said
that Kṛṣṇa performed any miracles. When Kṛṣṇa lifted
up Govardhana Hill, nobody said that was a miracle. But when Jesus
Christ made so many things, they say it's a miracle. How is that?
Prabhupāda: The difference is that in Vṛndāvana they are pure
devotees. They knew that "Oh, this is not a miracle
for Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa can do anything and everything." So they were not
surprised. If I lift one mountain, you will be surprised because you
know that "Swamiji is man. How he is lifting?" But they know
that Kṛṣṇa is all-powerful. So there was no surprise. It is just like
natural work. They were so much affectionate to Kṛṣṇa that... He was
not only lifting. Every day He was doing so much great
performances, and His boyfriends, they would come home, and they
would narrate the story to their mothers, "Oh, mother,
today Kṛṣṇa performed like this. There was a great demon, and He
killed him immediately." And the mother will say, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa did
that? He is very nice boy, very nice." (laughter) Because they were so
affectionate to Kṛṣṇa, they always think, "Everything is possible
for Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is so nice. Kṛṣṇa is so great." That is their idea. So
(indistinct) that is not miracle. That is ordinary thing for Him. Just
like Yaśodā. Kṛṣṇa's friends complained, "Mother Yaśodā, Kṛṣṇa has
eaten earth. You gave Him sweetmeat, but He was not eating
sweetmeat." You know. The boys, they complain each other and
again make friends. So Yaśodā was..., "Oh, Kṛṣṇa, I gave You
sweetmeats. You are eating earth?" "No, mother. I have not eaten.
They are telling false." And they were still, "Yes. We have seen,
mother, He has eaten." Then mother asked Him, "Oh, show Your
face. Open Your mouth. I want to see." So He opened His mouth,
and she saw all the universe within His mouth, not only earth, the
whole planets, sun and moon, and everything, within His mouth.
Then she thought, "Oh, what I have seen? All right. Don't do it."
That's all. (laughter) She is not at all surprised. She thought that "I
saw something. Maybe I wrong or right. All right. Don't do it." That's
all. So they were so much affectionate to Kṛṣṇa that Kṛṣṇa's this
jugglery could not enchant them. (chuckles) You see?
Therefore Kṛṣṇa said to the gopīs that "Your love is so pure that it is
not possible for Me to repay." Kṛṣṇa is declaring insolvent to pay
their debt. "You be satisfied with your love only. I cannot repay."
That is the position of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa and the residents
of Vṛndāvana so affectionately connected, that there is no such
conception that "Kṛṣṇa is God, Kṛṣṇa can play wonderful things."
They simply love Kṛṣṇa. And out of love they forget everything. "All
right. That's all right. That's all right." So that ecstasy of love is only
possible in Vṛndāvana. [break]
Pradyumna: Is there a difference in the quality of service between
a person who is, just accepts outright Kṛṣṇa, service to Kṛṣṇa, and one
who wants to scrutinize and inquire more and more about it,
between someone who just accepts, "That's it, this and this," and
someone who inquires more and more?
Prabhupāda: One who loves Kṛṣṇa without inquiry, that is nice
position. To inquire about Kṛṣṇa is knowledge. And pure devotion is
transcendental to knowledge. Love does not depend on the
greatness. If a boy loves a girl or the girl loves a boy, even in this
material field, it does not depend on the greatness of the boy. Of
course, here everything is on material consideration. But actual love
is without any consideration, what He is or what He isn't. That is
real love. That is the perfectional stage of love, without inquiring
how great He is or what He is. But for the neophytes it is necessary
to know about Kṛṣṇa. Because we have no love, so if we understand
that Kṛṣṇa is so great, then gradually we can love. Our position is
different because when... Therefore Caitanya-caritāmṛta, it is said
that siddhānta boliya citte na kara ālasa: "Try to understand
about Kṛṣṇa." Just like Kṛṣṇa is explaining in Bhagavad-gītā that "I
am this amongst the trees. I am this. I am this planet. Amongst this,
I am this. I am this." So just to impress upon the neophyte devotees
about the greatness... And those who are advanced devotees, they do
not want to see whether Kṛṣṇa is great or small. They simply love
Him. That's all. That is pure love. In Vṛndāvana, at least
these gopīs, they never saw Kṛṣṇa's any jugglery or any greatness.
But they still love, pure love. Pure love means
anyābhilāśitā-śūnyaṁ
j�āna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu
śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā
[Brs. 1.1.11]
Without any cultivation of knowledge, without any activities of
fruitive action, without any desire, simply to love Kṛṣṇa in order to
please Him—that is the highest perfectional stage of devotion. There
is no consideration "Whether Kṛṣṇa is God or not, whether we are
getting benefit or not." "Simply we love Kṛṣṇa." That is the
perfectional stage. [break]
Candanacarya: ...to know something about Kṛṣṇa. (indistinct) I
think you have to know something about Kṛṣṇa before you know Him
to love Him.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That I explained. For ordinary neophyte
devotees... This is the highest stage. The stage of the gopīs or the
cowherd boys playing with Kṛṣṇa, oh, they are kṛta-punya-
pu�jāḥ. Many, many lives they have undergone many types of
sacrifices, austerities, penances, and then they have come to that
stage. That stage is not ordinary stage. In the Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-
sukhānubhūtya dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena,
māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-
pu�jāḥ [SB 10.12.11]. He is describing when Kṛṣṇa was playing with
His cowherds boy. So he is describing that "These cowherds boy—
who are they? They are living entities who have amassed volumes
and volumes of pious activities." Kṛta-puṇya-pu�jāḥ. "After many,
many lives Just like bank balance increases, similarly, one who has
increased the balance of pious activities for many, many thousands
of lives, oh, such persons are now playing with Kṛṣṇa. They have
taken the body of His cowherds boy, transcendental spiritual body,
and just they are playing with Kṛṣṇa. And who
is Kṛṣṇa?" Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtya: "The great saints
and sages who are trying to understand the Supreme Brahman, here
is Kṛṣṇa. That Supreme Brahman is here,
playing." Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-
sukhanubhutya dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena: "The
impersonalist Brahman is... Because Kṛṣṇa's effulgence is
impersonal Brahman, so here is He." And dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ: "Those
who are devotees, those who have accepted Kṛṣṇa as the master, for
them here is Kṛṣṇa." And māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa: "And those
who are materialistic—they simply think Kṛṣṇa is ordinary boy or
man—He is also there. But who are these boys? They are playing
with the same person who is Brahman, who is Bhagavān, or who is
ordinary man, according to different calculation. But these boys who
are playing with Him, they have accumulated many, many lives'
heaps of pious activities." They are not ordinary men. So all
these gopīs, all the cowherds boy in Vṛndāvana, they are not
ordinary living entities. They have approached that stage after many,
many pious activities. Yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ. After brahma-
bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati [Bg. 18.54]. Their
position is different. Therefore they have reached that unalloyed
stage: without any consideration, simply loving Kṛṣṇa. That stage
they have passed already. There is no such consideration. Pure love.
That is pure love. Pure love means anyābhilāśitā-śūnyaṁ j�āna-
karmādy-anāvṛtam [Brs. 1.1.11]. There is no question of knowledge.
What these gopīs...? They were damsels, cowherds girls. They had
no study of Vedānta or anything knowledge. Simply ordinary village
girls. How they attained such love for Kṛṣṇa? That is not ordinary
thing. So it is not a thing that one should attain the transcendental
loving platform of Kṛṣṇa by studying. No. vinā mahat-pāda-
rajo 'bhiṣekam. It can be achieved by the grace of Kṛṣṇa or by the
grace of Kṛṣṇa's devotees. It is not that because one is very learned,
he will become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Or because one is rich, therefore he
will become Kṛṣṇa conscious, or because one is great mystic,
therefore he will. No. That will come... vinā mahat-pāda-
rajo 'bhiṣekam. It cannot be achieved without touching the dust of
lotus feet of a great devotee. That is the affect.
Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended,
sādhu saṅga sādhu saṅga sarva śāstra kaya
lavamātra sādhu saṅge sarva siddhi haya
So this association is required. If you can make
your Kṛṣṇa consciousness society perfectly Kṛṣṇa conscious, wherever
you will go, they will become Kṛṣṇa conscious, simply by your
presence. So you have to become perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
There should be no adulteration. That adulteration means that
knowledge and fruitive activities and material desires.
If Kṛṣṇa consciousness is freed from these three kinds of
contamination, then that is pure. (end)