Prabhupada 0172 - Real Religion is to Surrender to Krsna
Lecture on SB 1.5.30 -- Vrndavana, August 11, 1974
That is religion, to surrender to Krsna. Otherwise, as it is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra (SB 1.1.2). All cheating type of religious system is kicked out from Bhagavad, Srimad-Bhagavatam. Kicked out, projjhita. To merge into the Supreme, to become God, to become incarnation of God -- these kind of religious systems is very rigidly kicked out from Srimad-Bhagavatam. Because they are not religion. Real religion is to surrender to Krsna.
Therefore it is said, yat tat saksad bhagavata uditam (SB 1.5.30). If you want to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then you must abide by the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But they have no idea who is Supreme Personality of Godhead, what is His order, what is our relationship with Him. These things are unknown. It is simply known to the, I mean to say, devotees. Why it is monopolized by the devotees? That is also answered in the Bhagavad-gita: bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah (BG 18.55). If you want to know what is God, what is Krsna, then you have to go through this bhakti-marga, or devotional... There is no other way. Krsna never says that He can be known through speculation or cultivation of so-called speculative knowledge. No. Then He would have said "Through jnana one can understand Me." No. Neither karma one can understand. Neither yoga. This is explained in many, various places of the sastra. Only bhakti. Only bhakti. And it is the duty of the spiritual master, or mahatma, to spread bhakti cult. That is the most confidential... That is the most merciful humanitarian activity.
Because people are suffering for want of this knowledge. Therefore our Krsna consciousness movement is the only movement -- I can declare very proudly -- which can actually do some benefit to the human society. It is the only movement. All other, bogus movements, I declare. Let them come and study the sastras and decide for themselves. They're all cheating. Only this bhagavad-bhakti. Because you cannot understand Bhagavan without undergoing the process of devotional service. Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah (BG 18.55). If you want to know in truth, tattvatah... Krsna wants that one should understand Him tattvatah. Not that superficially to take Krsna, that "He was very fond of the gopis, and let us hear the lila of Krsna." Why Krsna's gopis' lila? Why not Krsna's lila killing the demons? That, the people are not interested, to hear about Krsna's killing the demons. Because the gopis' lila, it appears to be the transaction between young woman and man, it very quickly appeals. But Krsna's other business is there. Paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam (BG 4.8). That is also Krsna's lila. That is Krsna's lila. Just like Lord Ramacandra is killing the Ravana. That is also Krsna's lila. Lord Ramacandra's lila and Krsna's lila, there is...
So we should take any lila of Krsna as Supreme. Not that simply the most confidential... The vrndavana-lila, Krsna's lila with the gopis, is the most confidential lila. We should not entertain this confidential lila unless we are liberated. It is very difficult subject. And because they cannot understand what is Krsna's lila, they imitate, they fall down. There are so many things. We do not wish to discuss. But we should be... If we are actually serious about advancing in krsna-lila, then we must know first of all what is Krsna, what He desires, and how we shall act. Then we can enter into the confidential part of Krsna's lila. Otherwise we shall misunderstand and fall down.