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Servitude (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.30 -- London, July 23, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa is asking to work for Him, giving up everything. That is clear, everyone knows. "Here also I am working very hard, but here I am working hard to be happy, but the viparītāni, I am becoming unhappy. So why not work for Kṛṣṇa?" This is intelligence. I have to work after all. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇera dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Constitutionally, every living entity is a servant. He's serving eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. If he does not serve Kṛṣṇa, then he will have to become servant of māyā. That's all. His servitude, servantship, will not go. Ḍheṅki svarga gele sva-dharmān. (?) Ḍheṅki. Just like a ḍheṅki, you do not understand. The husking machine. Say, a typewriter. So if you send the typewriter to the heaven, what does it mean? It is to be worked as typewriter. Does it mean because it has gone to heaven, the work has changed? No. The work will continue. Either in this hell or heaven, typewriter will kat, kat, kat, kat. That's all.

Lecture on BG 1.41-42 -- London, July 29, 1973:

Devarṣi, we are indebted to the devatās. Ṛṣis, we are indebted to the great sages. Devarṣi, devarṣi bhūtānām. We are indebted to so many other living entities, bhūtānām, and nṛṇāṁ. We are also indebuted to the human society. Nṛṇāṁ, pitṟṇām. We are indebted to the pitṛs, forefather. Pitṟṇām. So na kiṅkarā nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan. One becomes freed from the servitude of all these personalities, devarsi-bhūtāpta nṛṇāṁ pitṟṇām (SB 11.5.41). How he can become? Sarvātmā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyam. One who has fully surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Lord, śaraṇyam. Śaraṇyam means here is the real place where one can surrender fully.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Hyderabad, November 18, 1972:

Liberation means to become liberated from the wrong consciousness. That is liberation. The wrong consciousness is that "I am master." So we have to change this consciousness. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. One has to understand thoroughly that he's not master. He's servant. He's completely dependent on the supreme will. If we do not surrender unto the supreme will, then we have to surrender unto the will of māyā. We have to remain a servant. If we don't..., reject service, or servitude of the Supreme Lord, then we have to become the servant of the senses. That is māyā. Actually, that is going on. The whole world is serving different types of senses. Senses are one, the same, but they have got different desires. So they are servant of different desires.

Lecture on BG 4.13-14 -- New York, August 1, 1966:

Just like I am sitting here on this dais. So I have got some relationship. What is that relationship? That this dais is giving me service silently. There is relationship. I am comfortably sitting here. So this is one relationship. The next relationship is that one wants to serve me or I want to serve him. Out of love, I want... Oh. Just like some of you: "Swamiji, I have brought some fruits for you." This is out of love. That means you want to serve me. So this relationship with the dais and that relationship, to come, and that relationship, to come and bring forth some fruit for me, that is higher. That is called dāsya, or friendship. So the silent relationship, the servitude relationship, the friendly relationship, then paternal relationship, then conjugal relationship.

Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Bombay, September 26, 1973:

Actually, people are engaged. Those who are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, they have given up the servitude of Kṛṣṇa, but they have accepted the servitude of so many other things. Somebody is thinking, "I am the servant of my country," somebody is thinking, "I am servant of my family," somebody is thinking, "I am servant of my wife," or somebody is thinking, "I am servant of my office boss," or somebody is thinking, "I am servant of my dog." That is also going on. Servant he must remain, but if he does not become servant of Kṛṣṇa, he has to become servant of so many things. He cannot give up his position as a servant. That is not possible. He may change the name in different way, but he remains a servant. That's a fact.

Lecture on BG 13.15 -- Bombay, October 9, 1973:

Brahmaṇo 'haṁ pratiṣṭhā. Here is the source of that Brahman. Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena: "Those who are devotees," dāsyaṁ gatānām, "those who have accepted the servitude of the Lord, for them, here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para... And māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa: "And those who are under the influence of the external energy, māyā, they are thinking an ordinary human being, boy, nara-dārakeṇa. "But those who are playing with Him," sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ (SB 10.12.11), they have accumulated pious activities for many, many lives. Now they are allowed to play with the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

Lecture on BG 13.26 -- Delhi, September 22, 1974:

So in this way we are servants; we are never master. But by illusion we cannot understand. Why one takes the responsibility of family life, servants of so many items? Because I want to satisfy my senses. Therefore I am servant of nobody, but I am servant of my senses. This is the position. So when I forget to become servant of Kṛṣṇa, then I become servant of my senses. My position as servant remains the same. Again, if I give up the servitude of my senses and accept the servitude of Kṛṣṇa, then I am liberated. This is the position. Servant you have to do, remain. Kāma... The servant of kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśāḥ. One who is intelligent, he comes to the senses and he understands that "I had been servant of kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mātsarya, like that. So I have served them, but nobody is satisfied. Nobody is satisfied.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.10.7 -- Mayapura, June 22, 1973:

So we are dependent. So long we are under the control of māyā, we are dependent. We are depend... Our constitutional position is dependence, servitude. So by false declaration we think that "We are now going to be independent. We shall not service Kṛṣṇa. We shall become independent. I shall become Kṛṣṇa." As the Māyāvādī thinks that he shall become Kṛṣṇa, "I shall become God," that is another dependence. You cannot be independent. That is not possible. And to remain dependent, that is our happiness. That we do not know. Instead of declaring independence, if we remain dependent, that is our happiness.

Lecture on SB 1.15.28 -- Los Angeles, December 6, 1973:

Service, master and servant giving service, but when the servant becomes very intimate there is friendship. I've seen it practically in Calcutta. The Dr. Bose, his driver was his best friend. When he would sit on the car, he would talk all his mind with the driver. So this driver, he became his intimate friend. All confidential talks with driver. It happens so. If the servant becomes very confidential, the master discloses his mind. He talks with him what to do. So this is called platform of friendship. And again farther advancement... Just like relationship with father and son, mother and son. This is called vātsalya, and at last conjugal love. So in this way we are related with Kṛṣṇa somehow or other. In veneration, in servitude, as friend, as paternal affection, or as conjugal lover You see. So we have to revive that. And as soon as you revive any one of them, intimacy, then we become happy, because that is eternal.

Lecture on SB 3.25.10 -- Bombay, November 10, 1974:

We are not proprietor of the senses. Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of the senses. So when our senses are purified and we apply them... After all, our senses are employed for satisfaction of somebody, myself or somebody else. Actually, somebody else. That is kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mātsarya. That is illusion. We are not serving ourself; we are serving our lusty desires, kāma, krodha. I am angry; therefore I am killing somebody. So that is not mine. But I am servant of the anger. I am servant; I am not master. If I would have been master, then I could control my anger. But I am not. I am servant of anger. I am servant of lusty desires. So I am servant, but this servitude should be transferred to Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection of life.

Lecture on SB 3.25.41 -- Bombay, December 9, 1974:

Just like by nature a son and servant, there is no different. Son also gives service to the father, and the servant also gives service to the master. So there is affection, either as master or servant or son and father, but it is the duty of the servant or son to give service to the Supreme. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has defined that real svarūpa... Svarūpa means original identification, not artificially. Artificially you can think, "I have become God. I have become Bhagavān. I am this. I am that," all rascaldom. The real position is that eternal servitude. That is not this servitude. We sometimes shudder, "Oh, I have to become servant?" No, you do not know how much happy life is that servitude. That we do not know. We compare with this because materially, we are infected. We are thinking to become servant of God is like servant of... No. There, in the spiritual world, the servant of God and servant is the same.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Boston, April 28, 1969:

One liberation is to merge into the Supreme. Another liberation is to live with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the same planet. Another liberation is to achieve the status quo of life as good as God. Sārūpya, sāyujya, sālokya, sāmīpya. You can associate yourself with God. That is another liberation. In this way, there are five kinds of liberation. Generally the Māyāvādī philosophers, they want to merge into the existence of God. That also, one of the recommended process of liberation. But so far we are concerned, we don't want even to merge into the existence of God, but we want to become associated with God in friendship, in love, in servitude, in so many ways. We want to keep our existence, individual existence, and associate with God. That is the Vaiṣṇava philosophy.

Lecture on SB 6.2.1-5 -- Calcutta, January 6, 1971:

Kṛṣṇa is there within our heart. He also gives sometimes dictation, "Don't do it"; still, we do. So kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśāḥ. If the master says something "You do it," if it is good, that's all right. But if it is bad, even though I have to do because I have accepted the servitude, oh, that is very abominable. That is śūdras. According to Vedic principle, the śūdras... Śūdra-karma svabhāva-jam. The śūdras are meant for obeying the orders of the master. So sometimes it happens; the master says, "You do this, you do that," which is not very good. The servant has to act.

Lecture on SB 7.9.40 -- Mayapur, March 18, 1976:

The fish is only strongly under the servitude of the tongue. Therefore the fishing tackle gives something eatable, and the fish immediately... It is not that it is hungry, but because the fish is so greedy—something nonsense is there in tackle—he immediately..., and becomes caught up. Due to the strong inclination of eating, he loses his life.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 2, 1973:

Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu presenting Himself: gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayoḥ dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). A guru is always the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. He does not represent himself direct servant. How he can be direct servant? But if you are in the disciplic succession of the servitude, servant of the servant of the servant, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2), then you become representative. And there is no difference between the original guru, Kṛṣṇa, and the latest guru, Kṛṣṇa. Because the aim is the same. Kṛṣṇa personally says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). And who is representative of Kṛṣṇa, he'll say the same thing: "You surrender to Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). The guru will say, "Yes, you become always Kṛṣṇa conscious." Man-manā. Kṛṣṇa says man-manā. A guru says, "You become Kṛṣṇa conscious." The same thing. There is no difference. You become devotee of Kṛṣṇa. You always think of Kṛṣṇa. You always chant of Kṛṣṇa. You always speak of Kṛṣṇa. You do not know anything but Kṛṣṇa. Simply this life is required.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.1 -- Mayapur, March 1, 1974:

What is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's instruction. It is the same instruction as Kṛṣṇa gave. Kṛṣṇa wanted sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That is Kṛṣṇa's mission. Because it is the duty of the living entity because they are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, it is the duty of everyone to abide by the orders of Kṛṣṇa. That is the duty. Jīvera svarūpa haya nityera... (CC Madhya 20.108). This is the instruction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Kṛṣṇa wanted that you should all surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that your real constitution position is eternal servitude of Kṛṣṇa. There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa's instruction and Caitanya Mahāprabhu's instruction, because He is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī said, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te, kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53). Here is also said, vadānyatā. Prema-bhakti-vadānyatā, vadānyatā.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.2 -- Mayapur, March 2, 1974:

The Vaiṣṇava, their principle is to become, to come to the platform of eternal servitude. That is the philosophy of Vaiṣṇava philosophy: not to become the master but to become servant of the master. This is perfect philosophy. Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). So long in the material conception of life we..., the brāhmaṇa is thinking the master of the kṣatriya or the vaiśya or the śūdra; a sannyāsī is thinking the master of vānaprastha, gṛhastha, brahmacārī. Similarly, in gṛhastha also, the chief man in the household life, he is thinking master. So everyone, kṣatriya king, he's thinking he's master. So, you are master to some extent, but if you accept Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu or Śrī Kṛṣṇa as your master, then your life is successful. This is the secret of success.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.154 -- Gorakhpur, February 16, 1971:

You are servant. You cannot give up your servitude. All of you, you have assembled here. Can you say you are master? You are all servant. Is anyone that you are the master, supreme master? Who is a master? You are all servants, but you are servant of māyā. That's all. You are servant of your senses. Your senses dictate something, and you are obliged to abide by that. So you have to give up this service attitude of māyā and you have to take the real servitude of Kṛṣṇa. That is your salvation. Constitutionally, you are servant, nothing but servant. Artificially, you are claiming that "I am master." Nobody's master. You are servant. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). That is the real identity of jīva. He's eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. So as soon as you accept that position, you are liberated. That is your natural position. You are constitutionally a servant.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.14-20 -- New York, January 10, 1967:

Suppose one says that "You go and tell this lie. It is required by me." Now, because I am in service... Even great personalities like Bhīṣma, such a great personality, he could not join with the Pāṇḍava's party because he became a servant of the Kurus. So servitude is such a thing. A servant means a dog's qualification. In the Bhāgavata it is stated that... Because the higher caste... The caste system, higher means the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas and the vaiśyas, they'll never become servant of anyone. Therefore they are higher. The śūdras, they accept service of others. So that was the stricture. And in the śāstra the brāhmaṇas and the kṣatriyas, the higher castes, and the vaiśyas, they would never serve.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Los Angeles, November 13, 1968:

Dāsya-rasa, servitude. There are different rasas, mellows of relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Śānta, dāsya... Just like Vṛndāvana-bhūmi or the trees, the plants, they are serving Kṛṣṇa silently. And the cows and servants, they are offering superior service. The friends, they are offering service as friend. The gopīs, they are... Gopīs or the motherly gopīs, just like Yaśodā and ladies, offer their, loving Kṛṣṇa as son, and the younger girls, they're loving Kṛṣṇa as husband, as lover. So in this way in Vṛndāvana there are different transcendental mellows of loving affairs.

Pandal Lecture at Cross Maidan -- Bombay, March 26, 1971:

But actually I am servant of Kṛṣṇa. As I am thinking at present moment, "I am servant of this, servant of that," we have to give up this servant, servitorship or servitude, and we have to turn our face toward Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection of life. Īhā yasya harer dāsye. Jīvan muktaḥ sa ucyate. Nikhilāsv apy avasthāsu. That is the direction of Rūpa Gosvāmī, that it doesn't matter in what condition of life you are now. You may be an Indian, you may be a European, you may be American, you may be Hindu, you may be Christian, you may be Muhammadan, but you should think that you are eternal servant of God, or Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture -- Tokyo, May 1, 1972:

So actually we are still servant although we have rejected servitude of Kṛṣṇa. That is our rebellious condition. Every one of us, all living entities within this material world, they are more or less rebellious condition. We don't want to serve Kṛṣṇa. I want to become Kṛṣṇa. That is māyā. That is the last snare of māyā. First of all, in our karmī life we want to become master of the world. I want to lord it over the material nature. That is our struggle.

Rotary Club Lecture -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972:

Mukti means when we give up our artificial way of life. The artificial way of life is that we are trying to become master. That is artificial. We are not master. Constitutionally we are servant. But that servitude is interlinked in the service of the Supreme Lord. Kṛṣṇa says that mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ: (BG 15.7) "The, all the living entities, they are My part and parcel." Just like this finger is the part and parcel of your body, similarly, we are also part and parcel of the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are so many descriptions.

Lecture -- Jakarta, February 28, 1973:

My position is to serve the country there. But I am thinking, "Now I am president." Similarly, in family life the head of the family, he's thinking that he's master, but actually he's serving his wife, his children, his servant. So our actual position is servitude. We serve. Either I become president or minister or head of the family, head of the community, society—whatever I may be, my position is servant, but I'm thinking that I have become master. This is called illusion. And sometimes when I become exasperated by becoming such master, false master, I give up this world.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz:

Prabhupāda: This is innate truth: as three angles of a triangle are equal to 180 degrees, similarly snow is white. Snow is white, water is liquid, stone is hard, chili is hot, sugar is sweet. These are eternal truths, fundamental truths. Similarly, a living entity is eternal servant of God. This is eternal truth. It cannot be changed. Water is liquid. That is the natural position, but when water becomes hard, it is due to temperature, under certain conditions, but as soon as the temperature reduces, the water becomes liquid. So liquidity of water is truth. Similarly, whiteness of snow is truth. Similarly, servitude of the living entity is truth. But he is serving māyā. That is untruth. If we take that there are two types of truth, there cannot be two kinds of truth. Truth is one. What we take as truth, that is māyā.

Page Title:Servitude (Lectures)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Serene
Created:22 of Nov, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=25, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:25