If one is interested to advance by chanting, then Caitanya Mahāprabhu advises that you should be humbler than the straw or grass and tolerant than the tree. Tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā, amāninā: Without feeling oneself becoming very proud of intelligence, he should give respect to others and in this way one can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra offenselessly.
So Devahūti, although mother of Kapiladeva, because she is woman, not only woman, because she is going to be disciple or the student, she is presenting herself as very humble student, not that superior mother, no. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). One has to learn. The first condition is praṇipāta. Prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa nipāta, complete surrender. Praṇipātena. Then paripraśna. Sad-dharma-pṛcchat. First of all, praṇipāta, a full submission, then paripraśna, guided by sevā, service. We have to please the spiritual master, the teacher, by service. This whole bhakti process depends on service attitude. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. I have several times explained this verse. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). Our present material senses are blunt. By these present senses it is not possible to understand the transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa, His name, His form, His quality, His pastimes. Everything of Kṛṣṇa, they are all divyam, divine. Janma karma ca me divyam (BG 4.9). So divyam, transcendental subject matter, is not possible to understand by these material blunt senses. Therefore one has to purify it. That is bhakti-mārga. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). One has to purify the senses, and when the senses are purified, then, with that purified senses, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. When our senses are purified, then we can serve Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam. Bhakti means to serve Kṛṣṇa, the master of the senses, by our senses. But these present senses, they cannot be fit for serving Kṛṣṇa. It has to be purified.
So how this purification is possible? Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau: (Brs. 1.2.234) by engaging oneself in service of the Lord, and the first service begins from the tongue, jihvādau. We have got many senses, sense organs, but devotional service begins from the tongue, jihvādau, by chanting. It is very difficult subject matter, but it is made easy because... Devahūti says, sukhaṁ buddhyeya: "Very easily I can understand, because I am woman." Kṛṣṇa is open to everyone: striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrāḥ (BG 9.32). Although they are considered less intelligent, still, Kṛṣṇa is open to everyone. And especially in this age, kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet: (SB 12.3.51) "Simply by chanting Kṛṣṇa's name, this Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra," kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ, "one becomes liberated, and then paraṁ vrajet, he is transferred to the spiritual world. Although this Kali-yuga is full of faulty things, everyone is embarrassed with so many difficulties, still, very easy metho..."
This is spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī after describing the faults of Kali-yuga. There are many, many hundreds and thousands of faults. People will suffer. They are all described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. People's intelligence, bodily strength, mercifulness—everything will be reduced. And so many things are described. Some of them are very prominent even at the present moment. Just like in the Kali-yuga, it is stated lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam: "People will think by keeping long hairs they will become beautiful." Lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam. So that is very visible now, especially in the Western countries. They keep very long hairs. Dāmpatye ratim eva hi: "Marriage, husband and wife, they will be simply by agreement." Nowadays that is happening. You go to a marriage-maker and agree, and marriage is finished. Not like before. Dāmpatye ratim eva hi. And rati means sex desires. So long their sex desires will be completed, they can live. Svīkāra eva codvāhe. These are stated, all. Vipratve sūtram eva hi: "Become a brāhmaṇa, just have a sacred thread." Sacred or not sacred, get a thread. That's all, without executing the brahminical duties. That is going on. In this way there is a long list of Kali-yuga's activities.
So after submitting the list, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ: "My dear King Parīkṣit, I have described all the faults of this Kali-yuga. But there is a special advantage in this age. That is," he said, kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51), "people can become liberated and go back to home, back to Godhead, simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra."
- harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam
- kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
- (CC Adi 17.21)
So this easy process, sukhaṁ jihvādau, that begins from the jihvā, tongue. If you kindly train your tongue to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and if possible without offense... There are ten kinds of offenses. If we avoid the offenses and you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, you become liberated. And it is very easy. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). Mukta. Anyone who is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, if he is chanting sincerely... Sincerely or not sincerely, if he chants, then he will become sincere and purified. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12).
So this is the easiest process. So durbodhaṁ yoṣā bhavad-anugrahāt. But this chance is gotten by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. Bhavad-anugrahāt. If Kṛṣṇa sees somebody, that he is sincerely chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra... He is within everyone. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). So He can understand that "Here is a sincere devotee." Then He gives chance. He as caitya-guru, the Supersoul, caitya-guru, and this external guru. He gives the chance of meeting external guru also, His representative, so that Kṛṣṇa helps a sincere devotee externally and internally. Internally, He helps, Himself, as Paramātmā. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam. Kṛṣṇa says that "I give him intelligence from within." And without, externally, His representative, the spiritual master, is there. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151). Combination of guru and Kṛṣṇa. By the grace of Kṛṣṇa, one gets a bona fide guru, and by the grace of the bona fide guru, one gets Kṛṣṇa. This is going on. So as we are fallen, similarly, śāstra has given us very easy method to appreciate our transcendental life, our blissful life. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This we are teaching everywhere, that "You chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra," śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. And when they are advanced, they are engaged in Deity worship, in preaching work, and so many other.
- śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
- smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
- arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
- sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
- (SB 7.5.23)
So Devahūti-devī, she thinks herself, because woman, yoṣā, durbodham. So she is accepting her son as guru and very submissively, and she wants to understand the very difficult subject matter very easily by the grace of Kapiladeva. This is very important thing, to receive the causeless mercy of Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, both. By Kṛṣṇa's mercy we shall get spiritual master, and spiritual master's... Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, he has very much stressed on the mercy of guru. And that is actually fact. If we receive the mercy of guru, if we can satisfy guru by our service, and if he gives his blessing, that is very, very great opportunity. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. Guru is confidential servant of Kṛṣṇa. Guru never claims that he is Kṛṣṇa, he is God. That is not guru. Guru, although worshiped as Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa... Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstraiḥ. Not in one śāstra, but all the Vedic śāstra, they describe guru, guru-brahma. They describe on the equal footing. Guru, being representative of Kṛṣṇa, he is worshiped as Kṛṣṇa. Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstraiḥ. All śāstra recommends that. Tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ. And those who are pure devotees, they accept. But that does not mean that guru declares himself that "I am Kṛṣṇa. I am God." No. Kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya. He is the most confidential servant of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he is very dear. And as he is very dear to Kṛṣṇa, if he recommends somebody, "Kṛṣṇa, accept him," He will accept him. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. That is the system.