You can love Krsna

Expressions researched:
"can love Krsna"

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

One can love Kṛṣṇa as the supreme unknown, as the supreme master, the supreme friend, the supreme child, the supreme lover.

Krsna Book Preface: Kṛṣṇa can perfectly reciprocate one’s loving propensities in different relationships called mellows, or rasas. Basically there are twelve loving relationships. One can love Kṛṣṇa as the supreme unknown, as the supreme master, the supreme friend, the supreme child, the supreme lover. These are the five basic love rasas. One can also love Kṛṣṇa indirectly in seven different relationships, which are apparently different from the five primary relationships. All in all, however, if one simply reposes his dormant loving propensity in Kṛṣṇa, then his life becomes successful. This is not a fiction but is a fact that can be realized by practical application. One can directly perceive the effects that love for Kṛṣṇa has on his life.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

You can accept Kṛṣṇa as father. You can love Kṛṣṇa as father, as husband, as master. Dependent. Remain dependent. And Kṛṣṇa has come to teach us that natural position of the living entities.

Lecture on BG 7.4-5 -- Bombay, March 30, 1971: Prakṛti means to remain dependent on the supreme husband or on the supreme father. You can accept Kṛṣṇa as father. You can love Kṛṣṇa as father, as husband, as master. Dependent. Remain dependent. And Kṛṣṇa has come to teach us that natural position of the living entities. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. This is our position, not to be puffed up, that "I am God, I am Kṛṣṇa, everyone is Kṛṣṇa." This is māyā, the last snare of māyā. Māyā dictates that "You become the biggest man of the world. You become the biggest, richest man of the world." And you are struggling. And there is struggle. Just like there is struggle is going on in Pakistan. The Bangladesh is trying that "We shall be leading Pakistan." And the Western Pakistan is trying that "We shall be leading." Nobody is leader. Actually, Kṛṣṇa is leader.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Persons who are simply engaged in pious activities and completely all sinful reaction of his life has ceased, he's no, more hesitating or checked. He can serve Kṛṣṇa, he can love Kṛṣṇa. So this process of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa means making him cleansed of all sinful reactions.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Vrndavana, October 16, 1972: Thing is that if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, this very process will make his heart clean. Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be understood not in dirty condition of mind. Yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpam. That is the definition given by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa..., to understand Kṛṣṇa is not so easy. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. Persons who are simply engaged in pious activities and completely all sinful reaction of his life has ceased, te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante mām [Bg. 7.28], he's no, no more hesitating or checked. Ahaituky apratihatā. He can serve Kṛṣṇa, he can love Kṛṣṇa. So this process of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa means making him cleansed of all sinful reactions. So he'll chant, he'll hear, and as he hears, his heart becomes clean. Then he will naturally inquire about Kṛṣṇa. So you have to create that situation. You go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, and as people will hear, his heart will be cleansed. Naturally he will be inquiring about Kṛṣṇa. They do not inquire about Kṛṣṇa because the heart is... [break] ...hearing and chanting. Then he'll be cleansed.

Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as his friend. So everyone can accept Kṛṣṇa in so many ways. So you can love Kṛṣṇa as sakhā, as Arjuna did.

Lecture on SB 3.25.39-40 -- Bombay, December 8, 1974: "Kṛṣṇa is my guru. Kṛṣṇa is my ātmā because I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa." Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ [Bg. 15.7]. "So Kṛṣṇa is origin; I am part and parcel. Then Kṛṣṇa is my..." One who wants to love Kṛṣṇa as son... We have described already. Kṛṣṇa is prepared to become your son because we love sons. We offer respect to guru. We offer respect to devatā. So everything should be Kṛṣṇa. Yeṣām ahaṁ priya ātmā sutaś ca sakhā, friend. Just like Arjuna. He accepted Kṛṣṇa as his friend.

So everyone can accept Kṛṣṇa in so many ways. So

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ

smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam

arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ

sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

[SB 7.5.23]

So you can love Kṛṣṇa as sakhā, as Arjuna did. And similarly, Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he simply heard about Kṛṣṇa, śravaṇam. These are the nine processes. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ: "Of Viṣṇu, of Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu—the same. Not anyone else. You cannot say that "I am hearing about Mr. such and such, a great politician, śravaṇam." No, that will not help you. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. Smaraṇam, "also always thinking of Me."

When we come to the spiritual platform, then actual love begins. That love begins. If we can love Kṛṣṇa, then, through Kṛṣṇa's love, we can expand our love for everyone.

Lecture on SB 7.6.9 -- New Vrindaban, June 25, 1976: When we come to the spiritual platform, then actual love begins. Mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām. That love begins... If we can love Kṛṣṇa, then, through Kṛṣṇa's love, we can expand our love for everyone. Yathā taror mūla-niṣecanena tṛpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopaśākhāḥ [SB 4.31.14]. Just like watering the root of the tree, the energy is expanded to the limbs, to the flowers, to the branches, similarly, if we want to love... Everyone... Just like we are coming, some patriot. Nobody loves nobody; that is all professional business. If we actually love Kṛṣṇa, then we can expand our love: patriotism, socialism, this "ism," that... Just like we are trying to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world because on account of love. Someway or other, we have come in contact with Kṛṣṇa. We are understanding that these people are in māyā or in ignorance, they do not know how to become happy. So our little attempt is "Let them become Kṛṣṇa conscious." This is out of love. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Everyone is suffering for want of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, therefore we are taking so much trouble. This is at least one side, that Kṛṣṇa wants them to deliver, and if we work on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, that is also love. We love Kṛṣṇa.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

If you can love Kṛṣṇa, then you will get pleasure. Otherwise, there is no pleasure. You will be frustrated. This is a fact. If you take it, it is nice. If you don't take it, then that is your misfortune.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.334-341 -- New York, December 24, 1966: Now, even a love extended, so-called love extended, that nationalism, loving the countrymen, loving the humanity, that is also not perfect. We have got practical experience. In our country, in India, Mahatma Gandhi, he loved his country very nicely. He sacrificed everything, and for thirty-five years he simply struggled for the, I mean to say, independence of his country, of his countrymen. But the result was, at the ultimate end, he was killed by his countrymen. After loving so much his country, the result was that he was killed by his country. So in this material world the love is like that. It is never perfect. It cannot be perfect. So Lord Caitanya, taking compassion on these poor fellows, He taught love of Godhead. If you love Kṛṣṇa, then you will feel pleasure. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said that "Every living creature is searching after pleasure, pleasure." Therefore we have presented this small booklet, that Kṛṣṇa is the Reservoir of Pleasure. If you can love Kṛṣṇa, then you will get pleasure. Otherwise, there is no pleasure. You will be frustrated. This is a fact. If you take it, it is nice. If you don't take it, then that is your misfortune.

General Lectures

Rupa Goswami says, "'How I can love Kṛṣṇa more and more'—if you can purchase this matiḥ." Matiḥ means intelligence or status of mind, that "I'll serve Kṛṣṇa." This eagerness, how to love Kṛṣṇa, is not available even after many births. So if you have a pinch of that anxiety, you must know you are the most fortunate man.

Lecture -- Seattle, October 4, 1968: The more you serve Kṛṣṇa, the more He accepts you and the more He gives you intelligence. You see? So the spiritual world is unlimited. There is no end of service, and there is no end of accepting the service. It is not that. So eagerness. Tatra laulyam eka mūlyam. I am not manufacturing the answer, but I am giving you evidence from Rūpa Gosvāmī, our ācārya. He says, kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ krīyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate: "My dear gentlemen, my dear boys and girls, if you can purchase a..., your sense of loving Kṛṣṇa—'How I can love Kṛṣṇa more and more'—this, this much, this anxiety, if you can purchase this matiḥ,"—means intelligence; it is very nice intelligence—" 'How I shall serve Kṛṣṇa...' " Kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ. Matiḥ means intelligence or status of mind, that "I'll serve Kṛṣṇa." "If you can purchase this status of mind anywhere, please immediately purchase." Then next question will be, "All right, I shall purchase. What is the price, do you know?" "Yes, I know what is the price." "What is that price?" "Laulyam, simply your eagerness, that's all." Laulyam ekaṁ mūlyam. "Ah, that I can have." No. Na janma koṭibhis sukṛtibhir labhyate. This eagerness, how to love Kṛṣṇa, this is not available even after many, many births. So if you have a pinch of that anxiety, "How I can serve Kṛṣṇa?" you must know you are the most fortunate man.