Devotee: Why are you teaching Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa consciousness?
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Devotee: Why are you teaching Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa consciousness?
Prabhupāda: Because you have forgotten. That is your natural position. You have forgotten the service of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, therefore you have become the service of māyā. You are servant of māyā, your senses. Therefore I am teaching, that "You are serving your senses, now you turn your service to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, you'll be happy. Service you have to render. Either Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa or māyā, illusion, senses. Everybody is serving to the senses. Is it not?" But he's not satisfied. He cannot be satisfied. Therefore I am giving them the right information - that service you have to render. But instead of serving your senses, please serve Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, then you'll be happy. Your position of servant remains the same, but I'm offering a good service. If you don't serve Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, then you have to serve your senses, māyā. So your service position will remain. Even if you don't serve Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Therefore the best instruction is that instead of serving your senses, your whims, please serve Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, you'll be happy. That's all.
Devotee: Prabhupāda? Before this question was asked you were talking about the ślokas that Lord Caitanya left for us. I can't understand. On one hand he says that we don't want to be delivered from this material ocean, we just want to serve. And then, in one of the other ślokas, He pleads with Kṛṣṇa to deliver him from this ocean of death and fix Him up as one of the atoms of His lotus feet. This seems to be a contradiction to me, I can't...
Prabhupāda: What is that contradiction? Please explain.
Devotee: Well, it seems like… You explained before that we shouldn't try to pray to be delivered from this material ocean. We should just try to serve Kṛṣṇa wherever we are. To be delivered from the ocean of death seems to be a plea to take Him out of this material ocean.
Prabhupāda: Na dhanaṁ na janam, mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī (CC Antya 20.29, Siksastaka 4). Let me be situated in Your service. This is the prayer. And another prayer is:
- ayi nanda-tanuja kiṅkaraṁ
- patitaṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau
- kṛpayā tava pāda-paṅkaja-
- sthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaṁ vicintaya
- (CC Antya 20.32, Siksastaka 5)
Another, that "You simply fix me up as a dust on Your lotus feet." So in one śloka He says, "You engage Me in Your service", in another śloka He says "You fix Me up as the dust of Your lotus…" - what is the difference? There is no difference.