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This is first-class religion, to become devotee of God

Expressions researched:
"This is first-class religion, to become devotee of God"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Just I am trying to convince you about the easy process of bhakti-yoga. Anyone, everyone, at any place, any condition of life, he can become a bhakta. Ahaituky apratihatā. This is first-class religion, to become devotee of God. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Bhakti... When you... Bhakti means loving service. When you develop your dormant love for Kṛṣṇa and you begin to serve Him, that is called bhakti.
Lecture on SB 3.26.43 -- Bombay, January 18, 1975:

Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt. Asad-grahāt. Asad means this material world. It will not stay. Just like this material body. It will not stay—everyone knows; it has a beginning, birth—it stays for some time, it transforms some other bodies as children, then it becomes old, dwindling, and then finished. These are six different transformation of the material world. But it is temporary, asat. But there is another life, where there is no transformation: eternal. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). That is spiritual world. So that spiritual world, we have no information, but we have got little experience. Spiritual world means complete peaceful, śānti. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram, jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati (BG 5.29). Therefore it is compulsory business of our life to understand God, or Kṛṣṇa, if you want śānti. Jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati. If you want śānti, then you have to know God, what is God, not vague idea, actually. Jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati. You have to know.

Now, the position is how to know God. How to know God. So God know, it is very easy. If you don't chant... Suppose if I say that "By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra you will know God," you may think that "Why shall I chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra? I belong to different religion. Why shall I chant this Hindus' Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra?" Then all right, you do not chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, but you try to understand God in your daily life. What is that? That satisfaction by drinking water. Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya (BG 7.8). Everyone drinks water. Either you become Hindu, Muslim, Christian, you have to drink water. And after drinking water, when you feel satisfaction, as it is said, tāpa apanodaḥ, the tiresomeness immediately annihilated, immediately diminished, satisfies, so that satisfaction is Kṛṣṇa, or God. Kṛṣṇa says. So you haven't got to search out Kṛṣṇa anywhere. Kṛṣṇa is within you, God is within you, but still if you are doubtful, then God says, Kṛṣṇa says, "You try to understand Me in this way, tāpa apanodaḥ, the water." Everyone drinks water, very easy. So raso 'ham apsu kaunteya. Then the beginning, if you do not do anything... Just I am trying to convince you about the easy process of bhakti-yoga. Anyone, everyone, at any place, any condition of life, he can become a bhakta. Ahaituky apratihatā. This is first-class religion, to become devotee of God. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Bhakti... When you... Bhakti means loving service. When you develop your dormant love for Kṛṣṇa and you begin to serve Him, that is called bhakti.

So this bhakti is the first-class religion, Paro dharma. All other different kinds of religious systems, they are material. "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am Buddhist"—these are all material designation. Actually, it is not dharma. Just like gold. Gold cannot be Hindu gold, Christian gold, Muslim gold. Gold is gold. There is no question of Hindu gold or Muslim gold. Similarly, dharma, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharma means relationship with God. So human being in any society, any part of the world, there is a consciousness or sense of understanding God. The method may be different; that is another thing. But the idea is how to know God. Just like Christians, they say, "O God, give us our daily bread." So there is relationship. Muslim they say, allah akbar, "God is great." So in Hindu-conception generally say, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). So any sense you say, there is relationship with God. So unless you revive your relationship with God which is dormant, there is no śānti. There cannot be any śānti. So try to understand God.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa is canvassing that "If you do not take this process, that process, you simply, while drinking water, you think of Me: 'Here is Kṛṣṇa. Here is Kṛṣṇa.' " As it is said here, tāpa apanodaḥ. Everyone drinks water, so everyone can remember Kṛṣṇa, or God, if you simply learn this art, that "While drinking water, while I feel satisfaction, I must know, 'Here is God.' " Your devotional life immediately begins, without any education, without any enlightenment. Even a child can... If you teach the child that "When you drink water, you think of God..." Of course, one must have some knowledge what is God. So that according to different status of life... So here from Bhagavad-gītā or Bhāgavata we understand, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). So Kṛṣṇa is here in the temple. Kṛṣṇa is in my room in picture. So that is also not difficult. How easy it is, just try to understand, that if drinking water and if I think, "Here is Kṛṣṇa," and I have seen Kṛṣṇa in the temple, I have seen Kṛṣṇa in my room, my father has shown me, "Here is Kṛṣṇa," then where is the difficulty? And if you think Kṛṣṇa like that—"Here is Kṛṣṇa"—that is the beginning of spiritual life. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam (SB 7.5.23), memorizing.

Page Title:This is first-class religion, to become devotee of God
Compiler:Bhaktavasagovinda
Created:29 of Nov, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1