The ISKCON Deity Worship Journal

®r…la Prabhup€da Speaks Out

God doesn't need our help

Excerpt from morning walk, Melbourne, Australia, June 29, 1974

®r…la Prabhup€da: Jagann€tha will be very much pleased upon you. Yes. Sv-alpam apy asya dharmasya tr€yate mahato bhay€t. Little service to God is taken as great service. K��Ša is so kind. So we should always try to give the best service, best energy, and you become liberated. Actually we cannot give any service to K��Ša. He is unlimited.What is the value of our service? But He takes it seriously: “Oh, he is trying to give me some service.” Otherwise what service He needs from us? Suppose He has created these big universes, what service we can give?

By His will, He can create millions of universes. What service we can give?. These are the chances of service, this R€tha-y€tr€. God is so great, so big, how can we bring him up in the r€tha. But this is a chance, that you get Him sit on the r€tha and prepare it, manufacture it. Because your energy is engaged for His service, that is accepted. So for example just like a small child eating lozenges, and out of that, if he offers father, “Father, take it,” and father takes it very serious..., “Ah, very nice.” And what is that lozenges to the father? It is nothing. But because the child offers to the father in love, father takes it very seriously: “Oh, you are so nice. Yes, yes, give me.“ That is stated in Bh€gavad-g…t€. Patraˆ pu�paˆ phalaˆ toyaˆ yo me bhakty€ prayacchati: “A leaf, a fruit, a little water.“ What is the value of these things? But yo me bhaktya prayacchati: “Because he is giving Me in faith and devotion, I accept it.“ And what is this one piece of leaf and a fruit for God? It is nothing. He is being served by many thousands of goddess of fortune. Laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambrahma-sevyamanam. Then what is the value of this leaf and flower and fruit? But still, He says, tad aham a�n€mi: “Yes, I eat them.” And once God eats from your hand, then your life is successful.

Madhudvi�a: Sometimes a question is arisen that devotees are working hard to serve K��Ša, but sometimes they don’t feel that they are working in love and devotion. They are doing the work, but sometimes...

®r…la Prabhup€da: Yes, in the beginning there is no love. Let him work on the direction of God’s representative. (break) Therefore it has been warned, arcye vi�Šau �ila-dhir guru�u nara-matir vai�Šave j€ti-buddhiƒ. The Deity of Vi�Šu, if one thinks, “This is made of stone; this is made of wood; this is made of metal,” and spiritual master as ordinary human being, these are hellish considerations. Arcye vi�Šau �ila-dhir guru�u nara-matiƒ. Guru�u means the spiritual master. Nara-matiƒ, an ordinary human being. And vai�Šave j€ti-buddhiƒ. And Vai�Šava, a devotee—”Oh, he is brahmana Vai�Šava. He is European Vai�Šava. He is this Vai�Šava, that... “ No. These are forbidden. Vai�Šava is Vai�Šava. They are all transcendental.

Of course, in this country you are introducing new, but in India... Just like we had been at Tirupati, Tirumala. Many thousands of people were coming, and their daily collection is not less than 100,000 rupees. And do you think these people are coming to offer these 100,000 rupees daily to a stone? And the €c€ryas established this temple for bluffing these people? Does it mean, they are collecting the money? They do not know the science, rascals. And therefore simply... Sinful life cannot help. Vina pasugh-nat. That is stated in the ®r…mad-Bh€ga-vatam, that “One who is killer of animal, he cannot understand the spiritual science.” Vina pasughnat. This is the statement. Pasughna means animal killer. Therefore the first prohibition is to stop this animal killing. Otherwise, this dull brain will not be able to understand. They are not fit for understanding.

© International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust 1998
Founder-šch€rya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhup€da