Worshiping Krishna - an essential subject

Many times in our lives we stand in front of a challenge which is beyond our own capacity to fulfill no matter how hard we try. Often during these times, we beg, we pray and we even worship those we believe will have the powers to help us. We hope that by our acts of respect and devotion we will receive some mercy or strength.

By worshiping Krishna the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is the eternal friend and the benefactor of all living beings we will never fail to achieve what we really need. If we have no material desires, are full of material desires, or we desire liberation worshiping Krishna will always benefit us more than anything else we might do.

It is not that one can only worship Krishna as a last option after everything else fails. If we worship Him out of love and become attracted to His glorious qualities and features we will the achieve perfection of our human life. We will be conquered by love.

Srila Prabhupada's books, lectures, conversations and letters offer a comprehensive presentation of this essential subject as seen in the Vaniquotes Worshiping Krishna category. An introduction from his books is given below in the following 15 quotes.

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Quotes from Srila Prabhupada's books

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We would like to find a solution for all these problems of life, but we do not know the way. Herein it is suggested that anyone who wants to make an end to these miseries of life, namely repetition of birth, death, disease, and old age, must take to this process of worshiping the Supreme Lord and not others, as it is also ultimately suggested in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.65). If we at all want to end the cause of our conditioned life, we must take to the worship of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is present in everyone's heart by His natural affection for all living beings, who are actually the parts and parcels of the Lord. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.2.6)

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"Those who always worship Me (Krishna) with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have." One who is unable to live for a moment without Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot but think of Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day. (Bhagavad-gītā 9.22)

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I (Krishna) am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts. (Bhagavad-gītā 10.8)

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When water is poured onto the root of a tree, the branches and leaves are nourished automatically. And in the same way, when Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, is worshiped, all details of the material worlds are enlightened, and the heart of the devotee is nourished without his having to work in a materialistic way. (Easy Journey to Other Planets, Chapter 1)

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They become polytheists and hasten to worship various demigods. Polytheists cannot comprehend that kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma-kṛta haya: "By worshiping Lord Kṛṣṇa, one automatically takes care of all other, subsidiary duties." Polytheists think that demigods like the sun-god are equal to the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. Such men of distorted intelligence can never take shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet. On the other hand, lofty-minded persons with incisive intelligence are convinced that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Being. (Renunciation Through Wisdom, Chapter 2.5)

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The Lord can be worshiped in all stages of life. For instance, even in the wombs of their mothers Mahārāja Prahlāda and Mahārāja Parīkṣit worshiped the Lord; even in his very childhood, at the age of only five years, Dhruva Mahārāja worshiped the Lord; even in full youth, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa worshiped the Lord; and even at the last stage of his frustration and old age Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra worshiped the Lord. Ajāmila worshiped the Lord even at the point of death, and Citraketu worshiped the Lord even in heaven and in hell. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.9.36)

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Intelligent people will follow the process of the congregational chanting of the holy names of God and in this way worship Lord Gaurāṅga who is Kṛṣṇa Himself with a golden complexion. Worshiping Lord Kṛṣṇa is not an expensive affair, and worshiping Lord Caitanya is even easier and less expensive than worshiping Lord Kṛṣṇa. The reason is that the little effort taken to collect a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or some water for the worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa is not even required in Lord Caitanya's worship. (Renunciation Through Wisdom, Chapter 2.11)

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Although the Lord sometimes assumes a fierce appearance to kill the duṣkṛtīs, the devotees worship Him. Keśava dhṛta-nara-hari-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare. The devotee always takes pleasure in worshiping the Lord and glorifying the Lord in any form, either pleasing or fierce. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.15)

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Anyone who takes up Kṛṣṇa consciousness and engages himself completely in the service of the Lord cleanses his mind of all envy (manaś ca bhadraṁ bhajatād adhokṣaje). Therefore we should pray to Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva to sit in our hearts. We should pray, bahir nṛsiṁho hṛdaye nṛsiṁhaḥ: "Let Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva sit in the core of my heart, killing all my bad propensities. Let my mind become clean so that I may peacefully worship the Lord and bring peace to the entire world. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.18.9)

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It is said that great personalities almost always accept voluntary suffering because of the suffering of people in general. This is considered the highest method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone's heart. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.7.44)

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It is a completely mistaken idea that one can worship Kṛṣṇa in any form or in any way and still attain the ultimate result of receiving the favor of the Lord. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.90)

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In whatever transcendental mellow My devotee worships Me, I reciprocate with him. That is My natural behavior. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 4.19)

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Devotees who worship Kṛṣṇa in opulence cannot understand the parental devotional feelings of the residents of Mathurā and Vṛndāvana, who follow the path of spontaneous love. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā 13.37)

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I worship the primeval Lord, Govinda, who is always seen by the devotee whose eyes are anointed with the pulp of love. He is seen in His eternal form of Śyāmasundara, situated within the heart of the devotee. (Bhagavad-gītā 6.30)

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Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship the ancestors go to the ancestors; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; and those who worship Me (Krishna) will live with Me. (Bhagavad-gītā 9.25)

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