We have to understand Kṛṣṇa in truth. Otherwise we will be bewildered. And for that reason you have to hear from Kṛṣṇa or His representative to understand Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise you will also be bewildered.
So if we can understand Kṛṣṇa, that these activities of Kṛṣṇa, divyam, janma karma ca me divyam (BG 4.9), divine; they are not ordinary activities. If we can understand this, immediately we become liberated—simply if we can understand the activities of this Kṛṣṇa's dancing with the gopīs, they are divyam, they are not ordinary. Just like here also a young man wants to dance with many young girls; it is not like that. And because people cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, and if they hear about the dancing of Kṛṣṇa with the gopīs, they take it the concession, "Now let us dance with young girls." That's all. And they are going to hell. Therefore you have to learn from the proper person about Kṛṣṇa's activities. If you learn Kṛṣṇa from the professional uneducated person, nondevotee, then you will go to hell. Therefore immediately we should not try to understand Kṛṣṇa's dealing with the gopīs. It is very confidential. It is kept in the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That means you have to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is by reading first nine cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Then you will be able to understand janma karma ca divyam. The Kṛṣṇa's activities, they are not ordinary thing. They are divine. And if we actually understand, then immediately you become liberated. Janma karma ca divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ.
Therefore here it is said, kīdṛśaḥ kati cāṅgāni. How that bhakti-yoga is situated and how many processes or branches are there? Kīdṛśaḥ kati ca aṅgāni yatas tattvāvabodhanam. Then we can understand Kṛṣṇa in tattva, in truth. That is required. That is bhakti-yoga. And that aṅgāni, aṅgāni means they are all the same. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23). There are nine aṅgas, nine . . . aṅga means different varieties. They are the same. Spiritually they are the same, spiritually absolute. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam. Either you hear or you chant or you memorize or you offer worship, arcanaṁ, or you offer prayers, arcanaṁ, vandanaṁ dāsyam, or you simply work under the direction of your spiritual master or Kṛṣṇa. Just like Hanumān: he, dāsyam. He simply carried out Lord Rāmacandra's order. He was supposed to be animal. He's not animal, but he was looking like a monkey animal. But having no education—no. He had everything. But superficially he . . . he is not teaching Vedānta. He is simply carrying order of Lord Rāmacandra, that's all. He appears to be very foolish . . . not foolish, but superficially animal. He was simply carrying out, dāsyam. Arjuna, simply he took Kṛṣṇa as his most intimate friend, that's all. He was not a Vedāntist; he was a fighter, he was a kṣatriya. He had to deal with politics. No time to become Vedāntist. But still he's the greatest devotee. Bhakto 'si priyo 'si me (BG 4.3). Kṛṣṇa says: "My dear Arjuna, you are My very dear friend and devotee." So people may say, "Oh, he is not a Vedāntist, he is not even brāhmin, he is not a sannyāsī. How Kṛṣṇa accepts him as bhakto 'si?" That is called bhakti. Bhakti is ahaituky apratihatā. If you become a devotee, there is no impediment. No material condition can check your progress of bhakti, if you are a bhakti.
- sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
- yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
- ahaituky apratihatā
- yenātmā samprasīdati
- (SB 1.2.6)
If you want real life, prasanna . . . brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). If you take to bhakti, automatically you become prasannātmā. Yenātmā samprasīdati. What is that? Ahaituky apratihatā bhakti. Without any motive. "I shall serve Kṛṣṇa with a motive," that is also good in this sense, that he is pious, he has approached Kṛṣṇa. He is not impious like the atheist, like the nonbeliever. But he is good, although he has approached . . . just like Dhruva Mahārāja. Dhruva Mahārāja worshiped Kṛṣṇa with a motive. But after being perfect in devotional service he becomes without motive. When he saw actually Kṛṣṇa, he said: "No, no, no. I don't want anything from You." Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42). "I don't want any benediction." That is bhakti. Ahaituky apratihatā. Not that we shall worship Kṛṣṇa to serve some material purpose. That is also good, because he has come to Kṛṣṇa. Some way or other he has come. Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtino 'rjuna. That is his piety. Anyone who comes to Kṛṣṇa some way or other, he is very fortunate. He is not ordinary man. Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). Bhāgyavān jīva means very fortunate person. He comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not ordinary person.