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If I am illiterate, I have no interest in reading books, I have no interest in chanting or I cannot do it constantly, then take something and mop over the temple and cleanse the temple. That is also service

Expressions researched:
"If I am illiterate, I have no interest in reading books, I have no interest in chanting or I cannot do it constantly, then take something and mop over the temple and cleanse the temple. That is also service"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

We have got so many activities. If we have no activities, then we can polish the floor of the temple. That is not very difficult. If I am illiterate, I have no interest in reading books, I have no interest in chanting or I cannot do it constantly, then take something and mop over the temple and cleanse the temple. That is also service. It is not that one who is engaged in the Deity worship, he is better engaged, and one who is polishing the floor, he is less engaged. No. Both of them will get equal benefit. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice. So find out some business for Kṛṣṇa. Don't waste time. That is the perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.


So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is that you get better activity. Therefore you can give up the inferior activities. Otherwise, simply by negation it is not possible. We must work. We must work for Kṛṣṇa's sake. We shall go to the Kṛṣṇa's temple, or we shall go for selling Kṛṣṇa's books or meeting some Kṛṣṇa devotee. That is nice. But you cannot stop working. That is not possible. Then your idle brain will be devil's workshop. Yes. Then you will fall down, "How to go to that woman? How to go to that man?" If you stop working, then you have to work again to sense gratification. That's all. Similarly, you take any sense; you cannot stop it, but you have to engage it. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You engage your hand and engage your legs, you engage your eyes, you engage your ears, engage your tongue—simply in Kṛṣṇa. You can engage everything. For eyes, instead of hankering after some beautiful man or beautiful woman, just see Kṛṣṇa, how nicely dressed. Then you will forget these other seeing. For tongue, you engage your tongue simply for chanting, then your nonsense talking will automatically stop. You engage your tongue eating very nice prasādam of Kṛṣṇa, offered to Kṛṣṇa, then you forget to go to restaurant. In this way our time should be utilized. As it is said that kim anyair asad-ālāpaiḥ. We should not allow our senses to be engaged in such thing which will never exist. That is the criterion. Simply engage yourself in such things which will continue, will exist forever.

Just like we are learning here Kṛṣṇa's service. So Kṛṣṇa's service is here, and if you are perfect, then Kṛṣṇa's service is there after death also, the same thing. Therefore it is said, māra vā jīva vā. One saintly person said to a royal prince, rāja-putra cirañ jīva. Cirañ jīva: "Oh, you are the son of a king. You live forever." Muni-putra, muni-putra mā jīva mā jīva: "Oh, you are the disciple of a saintly person, brahmacārī, you please die immediately." Just see. Rāja-putra cirañ jīva. He is blessing rāja-putra, "You live forever." And muni-putra, the son of a muni, or the disciple of a muni, he says, mā jīva, mā jīva: "You don't live, you die. You die." And that thing . . . that, what is called? This butcher. Butcher, he is advising the butcher, jīva vā māra vā, "Either you . . ." No. He is advising butcher, mā jīva mā māra: "Don't die, don't live." And to a sādhu, saintly person, he is advising, jīva vā māra vā, two things.

So what is the purport? The purport is that this prince, he is enjoying material enjoyment, but next life he will have to become a dog. "So better you live with your enjoyment," cirañ jīva, "Because as soon as you die, you are going to be a dog. So better you live. So long you will live it is good for you." And muni-putra, a brahmacārī, his business is fasting and go to collect for Guru Mahārāja, and then whatever he takes, he offers to the guru. Then the guru says that, "You can eat," he can eat. It is hardship, but by this hardship he is now prepared to go back to home, Godhead. So he says: "You immediately die so you can go to Vaikuṇṭha immediately." And the cruel butcher, he is advised, mā jīva mā māra: "You don't live and don't die. Because your living condition is so horrible that every day, morning, you have to kill so many animals and see bloodshed and this. It is a horrible life. Your occupation is very, very horrible. Therefore you should not live. But at the same time, if you die, then you are going to suffer all this suffering yourself. Then you don't die also." So this is the position. And sādhu, those who are saintly person, devotee, he is advised, jīva vā māra vā: "Either you live or either you die, your business is to serve Kṛṣṇa. You are serving Kṛṣṇa now, and after death you will serve Kṛṣṇa. So there is no question of your death, neither there is no question of your birth." So these are some moral instruction.

So here it is said that kim anyair asad-ālāpair yad . . . what is that? Avyayaḥ, asad-vyayaḥ. What is the meaning of vyayaḥ? Asat, "Unnecessary waste of life." So unnecessary waste of life, we should be very careful. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the criterion of Kṛṣṇa conscious life. We should not waste our time. That is advised by Rūpa Gosvāmī also. Avyartha-kālatvam (CC Madhya 23.18-19). We should be very cautious not to waste a single moment without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So we have got so many activities. If we have no activities, then we can polish the floor of the temple. That is not very difficult. If I am illiterate, I have no interest in reading books, I have no interest in chanting or I cannot do it constantly, then take something and mop over the temple and cleanse the temple. That is also service. It is not that one who is engaged in the Deity worship, he is better engaged, and one who is polishing the floor, he is less engaged. No. Both of them will get equal benefit. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice. So find out some business for Kṛṣṇa. Don't waste time. That is the perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Page Title:If I am illiterate, I have no interest in reading books, I have no interest in chanting or I cannot do it constantly, then take something and mop over the temple and cleanse the temple. That is also service
Compiler:Visnu Murti
Created:2017-01-04, 14:29:30
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1