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Don't try to see Krsna

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

At night you cannot see the sun. But when the sun reveals himself, it is not by your effort. In due course of time, sun will arise in the morning. You can see the sun, you can see yourself, you can see the whole world. So try to reveal Kṛṣṇa. Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa. Because with your eyes. with your senses, these material blunt senses we cannot see.
Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Bombay, December 29, 1972:

Out of all the senses, this tongue is very strong. Tongue is very strong. Therefore śāstra says: ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). By these blunt senses, we cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. We cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa. What is Kṛṣṇa's name, what is Kṛṣṇa's fame, what is Kṛṣṇa's form, what is Kṛṣṇa's quality... We cannot understand. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says:

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ
kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
(BG 7.3)

To understand Kṛṣṇa is not so easy.

So śāstra says that it can be made easy. It can be made easy. How? Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). If you simply engage your tongue in the service of the Lord. This one method. Simply engage your tongue in the service of the Lord. God will be revealed. (aside:) Come on. God will reveal Himself. You cannot see God. You cannot see Kṛṣṇa. But when He reveals Himself... Just like at night you cannot see the sun. But when the sun reveals himself, it is not by your effort. In due course of time, sun will arise in the morning. You can see the sun, you can see yourself, you can see the whole world. So try to reveal Kṛṣṇa. Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa. Because with your eyes. with your senses, these material blunt senses we cannot see.

You try to see Kṛṣṇa as advised by Him. Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa in your own way.
Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Tokyo, January 28, 1975:

Śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṁ nṛṣu. Śabdaḥ khe... (break) You try to see Kṛṣṇa as advised by Him. Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa in your own way. Then you will never find, You try to see Kṛṣṇa... Why they say that "We have not seen God"? The God is represented in so many ways. You take God's advice and try to see Him as He advises. Then you will see God. That's a fact. I do not... Why do they say that "We have not seen God"? You are seeing always God. You are seeing the sunlight. You are seeing the moonlight. You are smelling the good flavor of flower. You are reading, if you are scholar, you are reading Vedas. Oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ... He says, "This om," praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu, "in the Vedic mantra, the oṁkāra is I am." Then, pauruṣaṁ nṛṣu. Any wonderful work, if somebody has done, that is Kṛṣṇa. So you have to see Kṛṣṇa in this way, as Kṛṣṇa advises. Then very soon you will see Kṛṣṇa. There is no question of not seeing Him. You will see in every moment. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva (Bs. 5.38), twenty-four hours. Those who are actually Kṛṣṇa devotees, they are seeing Kṛṣṇa. They are seeing nothing but Kṛṣṇa. There is no question of not seeing Him, but you have to adopt the method how to see Him. And that is given there. You adopt it, and you will see Kṛṣṇa. Where is the difficulty?

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa; do something so that Kṛṣṇa may see you." That is wanted.
Lecture on SB 1.2.11 -- Vrndavana, October 22, 1972:

So guru means kṛṣṇa-tattva-vit, one who knows about Kṛṣṇa. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He explains about Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa explains about Himself. The Gosvāmīs, Ṣaḍ Gosvāmīs, they are explaining about Kṛṣṇa. And in their paramparā system, the ācāryas, they are also explaining Kṛṣṇa. So if we do not go through these tattva-vits, then we'll misunderstand Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, rūpa-raghunātha-pade hoibe ākuti, kabe hāma bujhabo se jugala-pīriti. All of a sudden, if you become a knower of the jugala-pīriti, love of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, then there is chance of becoming fallen. There is chance. So we should... Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam (SB 1.2.11). We must approach the tattva-vit, one who knows the truth; through them, through him, we should try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Not simply by

Therefore they're ma..., committing so many mistakes. Even scholars like Dr. Radhakrishnan and others, they're committing so many mistakes. Because they do not go through tattva-vit. There are so many political leaders who are commenting on Kṛṣṇa's book without knowing Kṛṣṇa, without any knowledge of Kṛṣṇa. Just see their impudency. Without knowing Kṛṣṇa, they want to make trade with Kṛṣṇa. That is not very good. You cannot make trade commodity, Kṛṣṇa as trade commodity. You cannot handle Kṛṣṇa by your whims. Let you be handled by the Kṛṣṇa's whims. Then you'll be successful. Then... My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa; do something so that Kṛṣṇa may see you." That is wanted. If Kṛṣṇa, if you can draw little attention of Kṛṣṇa, yat kāruṇya-katākṣa-vaibhavavatām, katākṣa-vaibhavavatām... Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī says... If you somehow or other you can draw little attention of Kṛṣṇa, your life is successful. Immediately. And how you can draw? Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Simply by serving Kṛṣṇa. Take service, take to service of Kṛṣṇa, as it is ordered by the spiritual master. Because spiritual master is the representative of Kṛṣṇa. We cannot approach Kṛṣṇa directly. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. If you have bona fide spiritual master, representative of Kṛṣṇa, it is also not very difficult. Everyone can become representative of Kṛṣṇa. How? If you simply carry the message of Kṛṣṇa without any adulteration. That's all.

That is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto, Second Canto, Third Canto, Fourth Canto. In this way, you have to go to the Tenth Canto. Then Tenth Canto means the head. And then, in the Tenth Canto, the chapters, Twenty-nine through Thirty-five chapter, that is smiling. Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa smiling immediately. Then you will be baffled.
Lecture on SB 1.8.36 -- Mayapura, October 16, 1974:

So here the devotees, they are not impersonalists. They first of all see the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, not that "No hand, no leg, no head." They means... Just like Upaniṣad, the Brahma Samaj, Rabindranath Tagore. So he addresses, "Ohe, tumi..." No, "Ohe tumi..." Who is that "Ohe," they do not know. Ohe. Impersonalist. Ohe tumi. In the Brahma Samaj, they pray, "Ohe." "Ohe." Why "Ohe"? If you know God, then you address Him by His name. Just like we say, he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho... We know what is God. We don't say, "Ohe." Ohe. Why...? No. We know, "He Kṛṣṇa," directly address Kṛṣṇa, he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho dīna-bandho jagat-pate. So that is the benefit of the devotee. By this process, śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti, you immediately, acireṇa, very soon, the more you are sincere, you'll be able to see first of all the lotus feet of the Lord. Padāmbujam, the lotus feet of the Lord, you'll be able to see.

And that is the way of seeing. First of all, you have to see the lotus feet. Then, gradually, the thighs. And then, then... At last, the beautiful face. Therefore the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the First Canto, Second Canto, are two lotus feet of the Lord. We have to read very carefully, because we have to see, first of all, padāmbujam. Don't go all of a sudden to see the face of the Lord, just like the sahajiyās did. Their reading of Bhāgavata means rāsa-līlā. Rāsa-līlā is the smiling of Kṛṣṇa, where Kṛṣṇa is personally enjoying very sweet smiling. So you don't try to see the smiling of Kṛṣṇa immediately. First of all see, try to see, the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, padāmbujam. Then gradually rise. When you are accustomed to see, as soon as you close your eyes, immediately see Kṛṣṇa's..., then you go further. Go further. Go further. Go further. And that is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto, Second Canto, Third Canto, Fourth Canto. In this way, you have to go to the Tenth Canto. Then Tenth Canto means the head. And then, in the Tenth Canto, the chapters, Twenty-nine through Thirty-five chapter, that is smiling. Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa smiling immediately. Then you will be baffled. It requires qualification, and it requires time, but if Kṛṣṇa is pleased, He can show His plea..., I mean, smiling immediately. That is a special favor. But the general way is to see, first of all, the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and make your endeavor perfectly done by this śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ, śṛṇvanti gāyanti (SB 7.5.23). This is the process.

My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa. Try to become being seen by Kṛṣṇa." That is wanted.
Lecture on SB 6.1.42 -- Los Angeles, July 23, 1975:

So the devotee of Kṛṣṇa, they know that "Everywhere is Kṛṣṇa, and I cannot do anything, concealing myself from the eyes of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore I should not do anything which is sinful." This is the first step of advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are thinking that "Although we are doing this sinful activity, Kṛṣṇa cannot see." No, Kṛṣṇa will see. You should always know that. Kṛṣṇa will see. And Kṛṣṇa says that unless one is free from all sinful activities, he cannot be engaged in full devotional service of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

yeṣāṁ anta-gataṁ tu pāpaṁ
janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇāṁ
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā
bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ
(BG 7.28)

So we should wilfully try to become... He is seeing, but there are two kinds of seeing. When you act sinfully, that is also being seen by Kṛṣṇa, and when you are serving Him, that is also being seen by Kṛṣṇa. So we have to be seen by Him that we are actually acting for Him as His servant. Then we will be recognized. You cannot conceal Him. He is seeing. He can see everything. But when you act sinfully, then the māyā's curtain prohibits you not to see Kṛṣṇa. But when you actually surrender to Him, then you can see Kṛṣṇa is present. He is seeing everything. That is wanted. My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa. Try to become being seen by Kṛṣṇa." That is wanted. You cannot see Kṛṣṇa so long... Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). So long we have got these material eyes, material senses, we cannot hear... Others may chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, he is enjoying, and others, they are thinking disturbing, the same chanting. So because one has got this material ear, he is thinking it is disturbing, and one who has got spiritual ear, then he is enjoying, "Oh, here is Hare Kṛṣṇa chant." This is the difference.

We have to execute devotional service in such a faithful way that Kṛṣṇa will see us. Then you will be successful. "Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa. Try to become seen by Kṛṣṇa." That was my Guru Mahārāja's instruction.
Lecture on SB 6.3.16-17 -- Gorakhpur, February 10, 1971:

Kṛṣṇa appears in two ways. He appears as antaryāmi, the Supersoul within himself, within oneself, and He appears as the spiritual master, externally. Caitya-guru and dīkṣā-guru. Caitya-guru... As caitya-guru, as the supreme spiritual master, He is in everyone's heart. And His representative... In order to help externally the sincere person, He sends the spiritual master. Therefore the spiritual master from outside and the caitya-guru from inside, they are helping. The Supreme Personality is helping a devotee, a real, serious devotee two ways: from within, from without. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta therefore says that kṛṣṇera prakāśa, manifestation of Kṛṣṇa, a spiritual master. And Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasya aprasādād na gatiḥ kuto 'pi: ** "If I can satisfy my spiritual master, then I understand that Kṛṣṇa is satisfied. And if I cannot satisfy my spiritual master, then I have no other way to approach Kṛṣṇa." These songs we sing every day. So my Guru Mahārāja used to say that "Instead of seeing Kṛṣṇa, you serve so faithfully that Kṛṣṇa will see you." That should be the process. Kṛṣṇa is omnipresent. He can see you, He can understand you, what are doing. So we have to execute devotional service in such a faithful way that Kṛṣṇa will see us. Then you will be successful. "Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa. Try to become seen by Kṛṣṇa." That was my Guru Mahārāja's instruction. Cakṣur yathaiva kṛtayaiva antaḥ-param. Tasyātma-tantrasya harer ahīśituḥ parasya māyādhipater mahātmanaḥ. Evaṁ bhūtaḥ parameśvaraḥ mad-anyad astīti.

Festival Lectures

This process of devotional service is taught by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Not that very easily, "We have seen Kṛṣṇa or seen Rādhārāṇī in rāsa-līlā." No, not like that. Feel the separation. The more you feel separation from Kṛṣṇa, you should understand that you are advancing. Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa artificially. Be advanced in separation feeling, and then it will be perfect.
Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- London, August 29, 1971:

The Gosvāmīs, they also, when they were in Vṛndāvana, they never said that "I have seen Kṛṣṇa." Although they were the most perfect, they never said that "I have seen Kṛṣṇa." Their prayers were like this: he rādhe! vraja-devike! he nanda-suno! kutaḥ. He rādhe, Rādhārāṇī, he rādhe! vraja-devike! ca. Rādhārāṇī does not remain alone. He (She) remains always with His (Her) friends, vraja-devī, Lalitā or Viśākha and other damsels of Vṛndāvana. So the Gosvāmīns are praying, in their mature stage, when they were living at Vṛndāvana, they were praying in this way, he rādhe! vraja-devike! ca lalite! he nanda-suno! kutaḥ: "Where, Rādhārāṇī, where You are? Where are Your associates? Where You are, Nanda-suno, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, Kṛṣṇa? Where you are, all?" They were searching after. They never said, "I have seen Kṛṣṇa dancing with the gopīs. Last night I saw." (laughter) This is sahajiyā. This is not mature devotee. This is called... They are called sahajiyā. They take everything very cheap—Kṛṣṇa very cheap, Rādhārāṇī very cheap—as if they can see every night. No. The Gosvāmīs do not teach us like that. They're searching after. He rādhe! vraja-devike! ca lalite! he nanda-suno! kutaḥ, śrī-govardhana-pādapa-tale kālindī-vanye kutaḥ: "Are you there under the Govardhana Hill or on the banks of the Yamunā?" Kālindī-vanye kutaḥ. Ghoṣantāv iti sarvato vraja-pure khedair mahā-vihvalau. Their business was crying like this, "Where You are? Where You are, Rādhārāṇī? Where you are, Lalitā, Viśākha, the associates of Rādhārāṇī? Where You are, Kṛṣṇa? Are You near Govardhana Hill or on the bank of the Yamunā?" Ghoṣantāv iti sarvato vraja-pure. So throughout the whole tract of Vṛndāvana they were crying and searching after Them, khedair mahā-vihvalau, as if madman. Khedair mahā-vihvalau. Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau.

So we have to follow the footprints of the Gosvāmīs, how to search out Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī, Vṛndāvana, or within your heart. That is the process of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's bhajana: feeling of separation, vipralambha, vipralambha-sevā. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, feeling the separation of Kṛṣṇa, He was falling down on the sea. He was coming out of His rest room or His bedroom and going out at dead of night. Nobody knew where He has gone. So that was His searching. This process of devotional service is taught by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Not that very easily, "We have seen Kṛṣṇa or seen Rādhārāṇī in rāsa-līlā." No, not like that. Feel the separation. The more you feel separation from Kṛṣṇa, you should understand that you are advancing. Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa artificially. Be advanced in separation feeling, and then it will be perfect. That is the teachings of Lord Caitanya. Because with our material eyes we cannot see Kṛṣṇa. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). With our material senses we cannot see Kṛṣṇa, we cannot hear about Kṛṣṇa's name. But sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. When you engage yourself in the service of the Lord... Where the service begins? Jihvādau. The service begins from the tongue. Not from the legs, eyes, or ears. It begins from the tongue. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. If you begin service through your tongue... How? Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Use your tongue. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. And take Kṛṣṇa prasādam. The tongue has got two business: to articulate sound, Hare Kṛṣṇa; and take prasādam. By this process you'll realize Kṛṣṇa.

Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa. You cannot see Kṛṣṇa with your material eyes.
Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- London, August 29, 1971:

Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa. You cannot see Kṛṣṇa with your material eyes. Neither you can hear about Him with your material ears. Neither you can touch. But if you engage your tongue in the service of the Lord, then He'll reveal Himself to you: "Here I am." That is wanted. So feel separation of Kṛṣṇa just like Rādhārāṇī, as Lord Caitanya teaches us, and engage your tongue in the service of the Lord; then, one day, when you are mature, you'll see Kṛṣṇa eye to eye.

Page Title:Don't try to see Krsna
Compiler:Alakananda
Created:09 of Mar, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=8, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:8