If you see God, Kṛṣṇa, from the Hindu angle of vision, if you see God from Christian angle of vision, then you cannot see God. That is not seeing God. You have to become free from all these designation. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught us, nāhaṁ vipra na ca nara-patir na yatir vā. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said: "I am not a Brahmin. I am not a kṣatriya. I am not a vaiśya. I am not a śūdra. I am not a sannyāsī. I am not a gṛhastha. I am not a brahmacārī." Then "What You are?" Because within these eight categories you are living. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says: "I don't belong to all these categories." "Then what You are, Sir?" Gopī-bhartur pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsa (CC Madhya 13.80): "I am the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa, the maintainer of the gopīs."
So unless you come to this stage, free from all designation, you cannot serve Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa accepts service from the devotee. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa is not beggar, that He has come to your place and asking some food from you. No. But Kṛṣṇa accepts your food provided you are a devotee. That is Kṛṣṇa. You can offer Kṛṣṇa patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ.
You do not require to become very rich man. The poorest of the poor can offer Kṛṣṇa something. What is that? Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ: little flower, little fruit, a little leaf, a little water. Everyone can collect a little flower, a little water. And from any part of the world. Not that Kṛṣṇa can be worshiped in India, Kṛṣṇa can be worshiped in Vṛndāvana. Wherever Kṛṣṇa is worshiped, that is Vṛndāvana. Otherwise, if Kṛṣṇa is not worshiped, that is not Vṛndāvana.
So how Kṛṣṇa is worshiped? Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati: "Anyone who offers Me these things with bhakti, with devotion, with love," tad aham aśnāmi, "then I eat it." Not that a abhakta will offer something and Kṛṣṇa will accept. No.
- sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ
- tat paratvena nirmalam
- hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-
- sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate
- (CC Madhya 19.170)
This is the definition of bhakti in the . . . in the Nārada Pañcaratra, that when one is freed from the designation, sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam . . . "Sir, I am a brahmin. Therefore I can offer You something." No. Kṛṣṇa is not exposed to anyone except to the devotee. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). Kṛṣṇa is covered by yogamāyā. He's not revealed to any . . . anyone, except to the devotees.