Summary of Krishna Consciousness

Hare Krsna to all
Pranams
All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Below are a couple lectures where Srila Prabhupada sums up very nicely the entire Krsna Consciousness philosophy.

1. We are servants of either God or our senses.
2. The demigods are called devotees, but devotees with tinges of material opulence.
3. It is not that we are ALL liberated persons. We have so many gross and subtle attachments.
4. By following this process of bhakti marga (sravanama kirtanam, etc) we automatically develop detachment for all material things.
5. Without getting the "higher taste" its not possible to give up material desires. We have to increase our Love for Krsna then it all becomes possible. Follow the process.

Hare Krsna
Damaghosa das
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670313SB.SF                    Lectures              
Servant we are, because constitutionally I am servant. And because I am not servant of God or servant of Krsna, that I have become servant of my dog. In the morning I go with my dog. The dog says, "Yes, stand up here." "Yes, I am standing." "Let me pass my stool." "Yes, my dear sir. It is very nice." So I am servant. But I have no shame that I have become servant of dog and I'm refuse to (be) servant of God.

So foolish we are. You see? So Prahlada Maharaja says, "Just change this kindly. Don't become any more servant of..." Servant of dog means servant of your senses. That's all. We are here all servant of our senses. That's all. A swami means master of the senses. "Oh, sense wants? Oh, my tongue wants immediately to smoke? There is some sensation. Oh, I must say, 'No. There is no smoking. Stop.' "

Then you are master. And if you have become servant, "Oh, I want. Will you kindly give me a cigarette?" Because I am servant of cigarette. So you have to train yourself to become swami, master of your senses. Then everything is all right. Don't be servant of your senses. Servant you are. Just change your servitorship. Instead of becoming servant of senses, just become the servant of the master of the senses. The master of senses is Krsna. Therefore He is called Hrsikesa. And Krsna consciousness means hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate.

760701SB.NV 231812/530501
So Prahlada Maharaja says that "If you, my dear daitya friends..." He was talking with his friends. They were born of daitya families. Daitya family means, daityesu sangam visayatmakesu. Daitya means those who are materially attached, simply for sense gratification. They, that is the distinction between the daityas and devas. The devas, they are also in sense gratification, but they are devotees at the same time. Not pure devotees. Their devotion is for material opulence. They want something, return. Krsna is also prepared. Krsna takes sides of them. So if you want to enjoy material world, that also you can get by becoming Krsna conscious, Krsna is so pleased, so kind. Therefore sastra recommends:

akamah sarva-kamo va/ moksa-kama udara-dhih/ tivrena bhakti-yogena/ yajeta purusam param

Even if you have got desire to enjoy within this material world, still you take to Krsna consciousness. Krsna will satisfy you. He'll give you. There is no need of doing something else for your material enjoyment. If you want... Because we can not give up material enjoyment. We have been habituated since time immemorial, many life after many life, simply for sense gratification. It is not very easy to give up the idea.

Therefore sastra says even if you have got idea of sense gratification, still you take to Krsna consciousness. Don't try it otherwise. Just like the devatas. They have got facilities for all sense gratification. Sense gratification means -- udara-upastha-jihva, jihva, this tongue and the belly and the genitals. This is the prime sense gratificatory sources. Very palatable dishes, fill up the belly as much as possible, and then enjoy sex. This is material.

In the spiritual world these things are absent. In the material world these things are very prominent. So Prahlada Maharaja warns his friends that if we become attached to this sense gratification, then vimocitum kama-drsam vihara-krida-mrgo yan-nigado visargah. Nigado, nigado means the root, the root cause of accepting the material body.

...Some devotee asked Caitanya Mahaprabhu, "Sir, what is the duty of a Vaisnava?" So He immediately replied in two lines, asat-sanga-tyaga ei vaisnava acara: "To give up the company of materialistic persons." Then the next question may be "Who is materialistic?" Asat eka 'stri-sangi: "One who is attached to woman, he is asat." And krsna-bhakta ara, "And one who is not a devotee of Krsna." So we have to give up. So there is therefore regulative principle. At least, no illicit sex. Get yourself married, live like a gentleman, take responsibility, then gradually you'll be able to give up this sex desire. Unless we give up this sex desire, completely unagitated, there is no possibility of stopping this repetition of material birth -- birth, death, old age and disease. That is not possible.

760627SB.NV Lectures
It is not that we are all liberated persons. We have got so many attachments to family, wife, country. But along with it, if we try to increase our attachment for Krsna, automatically there will be detachment. Automatically. Without endeavoring separately. Vasudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogah prayojitah. Vasudeva, Krsna. If we become engaged in bhakti-yoga... Bhakti-yoga means, sravanam kirtanam visnoh               smaranam pada-sevanam arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam.

So this is bhakti-marga. If we follow these principles of bhakti-marga we do not require to endeavor separately how to become detached. The detachment automatically follows. Vasudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogah prayojitah janayati asu vairagyam. Vairagyam means detachment. The bhakti-yoga is known also as vairagya. Vairagya. Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya wrote verses about this vairagya. -- vairagya-vidya-nija-bhakti-yoga - siksartham ekah purusah puranah sri-krsna-caitanya-sarira-dhari   krpambudhir yas tam aham prapadye. Here is Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu who is Krsna Himself. He has come to teach us vairagya-vidya. It is little difficult. It is very difficult for ordinary persons to understand this vairagya-vidya.

Their business is how to increase attachment for this body, and Krsna consciousness movement is how to increase detachment for this material life. Therefore it is called vairagya-vidya. Vairagya-vidya can be very easily achieved, just like it is recommended, vasudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogah prayojitah janayati asu vairagyam, very soon, very soon. Janayati asu vairagyam jnanam ca. Two things required in human life. One thing is jnanam, jnanam-vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma sva-bhava-jam. This jnanam means, beginning of jnana means "I am not this body. I am spirit soul." That is jnana. And as soon as one is situated in that platform of jnanam, it is easy. People are engaged everywhere for the benefit of this body. But if one understands, he come to the platform jnanam, then naturally he becomes detached, that "I am not this body. Why I am working so hard for this body?" Jnanam ca yad ahaitukam. Automatically... Two things are required. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has many places, He has stressed on this, and by His life He is teaching jnanam and vairagyam.

One side jnanam, in His teaching to Rupa Gosvami, teaching to Sanatana Gosvami, teaching to, talking with Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, Prakasananda Sarasvati, talking with Ramananda Raya. We have given all these things in our Teachings of Lord Caitanya. So that is jnanam. And by His example in His own life, taking sannyasa, He is teaching vairagya. Jnana and vairagya, these two things are required. So, not all of a sudden we can be situated on the platform of jnanam and vairagyam, but if we practice, it is possible. It is possible. Not that it is impossible. That is recommended:

vasudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogah prayojitah janayaty asu vairagyam jnanam ca yad ahaitukam

That is required. So the Krsna consciousness movement is for achieving jnanam and vairagyam ... If we become too much attached to this material world ... And how we become attached? The vivid description is given by Prahlada Maharaja. The wife, the children, the house, the animals and servants, the furniture, the dress, and so on, so on, so on, so many things. People are working so hard, day and night, only for these things. Is there not (indistinct) nice bungalow, nice animal, nice, so many things we see? What for? To increase attachment. If we increase attachment, there is no question of being freed from this material bondage. So we have to practice this detachment. So this practicing, there are many recommendations, vairagya ... then in one life we can learn this vairagya-vidya nija-bhakti-yogam and go back to home, back to Godhead. That is possible. It is not impossible. But ordinarily it is very, very difficult. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja giving so many description, in detail, how we are becoming attached. But our real business is how to become detached. Unless we give up, param drstva nivartate, unless we have got the taste for the better thing, the inferior things we cannot give up. By cultivation of bhakti-yoga, by this process, sravanam kirtanam visnoh, we can get the taste of bhakti-yoga, then it is possible to give up this attachment for the material world. This is possible. The real business is how to increase our love, proportional love for Krsna. Then everything, proportionately, will come, and then our life will be successful.

Thank you very much. (end)