Prabhupada 0885 - Spiritual Enjoyment Does Not Finish. It Increases
730413 - Lecture SB 01.08.21 - New York
Only a fortunate living entity gets this opportunity of association of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's devotee. Then his life becomes sublime.
- ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
- guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
- CC Madhya 19.151
This bhakti-latā-bīja, the seed of devotional service, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.
So Kuntīdevī is pointed that "Who is the person, alakṣya, invisible?" Here, Kṛṣṇa. "Kṛṣṇa? There are so many Kṛṣṇas." Vāsudevāya, the son of Vasudeva. "There are many Vāsudevas." No, nanda-gopa-kumārāya SB 1.8.21, nanda-gopa-kumārāya, the foster son of Mahārāja Nanda. Three times she's pointing: "Here is Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa who officially takes His birth as son of Devakī and Vasudeva, but He enjoys the company of mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja—the childhood company. This is Kṛṣṇa's pastimes.
So ānanda-līlāmaya-vigraha. Ānanda-līlā, Kṛṣṇa's līlā, pastimes are all jubilant. Ānanda-līlāmaya. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He is by nature ānandamaya. Kṛṣṇa, you'll never find Kṛṣṇa is very unhappy. Kṛṣṇa is never unhappy. Kṛṣṇa is always happy. Therefore nanda-gopa-kumārāya govindāya SB 1.8.21. He is happy, and whoever, whoever associates with Him, he's also happy. Govindāya. We are after sense gratification. Go means senses. So if you associate with Kṛṣṇa, you enjoy your senses affluently. Just like the gopīs are dancing with Kṛṣṇa. So there is no scarcity of sense gratification also. But that is not this sense gra, gross sense gratification. That is spiritual sense. That is spiritual sense. Ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya (BS 5.32). We chant every day. That sense, you get, sense gratification is ānanda-cinmaya, cinmaya, in the spiritual world. Not this third-class ānanda with these bodily senses. This is not ānanda. This is an illusion. This is illusion. We are thinking that "I'm enjoying," but that is not ānanda. This ānanda is not fact, because we cannot enjoy this material sense pleasure for long. Everyone has got experience. It is finished. It is finished. But spiritual enjoyment does not finish. It increases. That is the difference. Ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya govindam ādi-puruṣam (BS 5.32).
So you have to associate with Govinda. Here is, also, it is said, govindāya namo namaḥ: "I offer my respectful obeisances to Govinda." So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice—you become directly in contact with Govinda. This Deity worship is also directly in contact with Govinda. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau. This vigraha, the Deity of Kṛṣṇa, that is also Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Because Kṛṣṇa is alakṣya, invisible, He has become visible for your facility, as you can see. Still... It is not that Kṛṣṇa is stone or Kṛṣṇa is wood or Kṛṣṇa is metal. Kṛṣṇa is always Kṛṣṇa. But He appears... Because you cannot see except wood, stone and metal, He appears like that, wood, stone or metal. But He's not wood, stone or metal. You'll get the same facility as Kṛṣṇa personally if you associate, when you associate. You will associate with Kṛṣṇa. But at the present moment, because Kṛṣṇa is invisible, therefore He has very kindly taken a form which is visible by you. This is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Do not think, "Oh, here is Kṛṣṇa, stone Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa is everything. Kṛṣṇa is everything, so Kṛṣṇa is stone also. Kṛṣṇa is stone also, but He's not that stone that cannot act. Kṛṣṇa can act also in the stone form also. Kṛṣṇa act also in metal form also. And you will perceive that. Svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. The more you give service, the so-called stone also speaks with you. There are many instances like that.