Devotees

Published on September 17th, 2023 | by HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

3

Creating Vrindavan [the Spiritual World] Anywhere

if you can create that central attachment for Krsna, then it is Vrindavan. Then you can create Vrindavan anywhere–any family, any society, any country. Just make the point of attachment Krsna, and it is Vrindavan. That is required. That is Krsna consciousness movement.

You have to convert or divert your attachment to Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness movement. Krsna consciousness movement means we have got attachment, but we have got attachment for false things, temporary things. And if we divert our attachment, that is bhakti. Bhakti does not mean that you give up your living conscience. Attachment is the function of the living being. The living being is attached to his family, wife, children, because he is living being. So living being cannot give up attachment. But if we continue our attachment for this false and temporary materialistic way of life, then we’ll never be free from this bondage of material condition. Therefore you have divert your attachment to Krsna. Mayy asakta manah. This is yoga: how to divert your attachment for Krsna. It is very easy. It is not difficult.

Therefore the training is, according to sastra and the instruction of the spiritual master, that: rise early in the morning. Just like there are thousands and millions of men at the present moment, because he has got attachment for the family he rises at four o’clock and prepares himself to catch the train at six o’clock to reach Calcutta, Bombay at ten o’clock and attend the office. So from four o’clock to ten o’clock, he has taken so much time changing trains. I have seen in New York also, they are coming in from the other island and waiting for the bus, waiting for the ferry steamer, and so many hours wasted to reach the office. And he works in the office for four or five hours, then again he takes this trouble of going so many miles away.

Why he is taking so much trouble? Family attachment. Family attachment.

Not that he has no attachment. He has got attachment, but this attachment, the same four o’ clock, rising early in the morning, for Krsna’s mangala-arati. This is a diversion, better. But he’ll not agree. When he has got to go to office for earning his livelihood, he will automatically rise up and go to the office, because the attachment is strong. But in the temple, the rule is that you must get up before four and prepare yourself, and we have to ring the bells three hundred times, and still you are sleeping. Just see.

So this has to be practiced. This has to be practiced if you want to divert your attention. The same process. But because we have no attachment for Krsna, we have to be forced. Never mind. Still we have to continue this, mayy asakta…, to increase attachment for Krsna, mayy asakta manah partha. We have to train our mind how to become attached to Krsna. This is bhakti process. The business is the same, but we have to be trained up for increasing our attachment for Krsna. Not that we have to bring a separate attachment. It has to be cleansed. That, how the attachment should be utilized, that is described in the Narada-pancaratra:

sarvopadhi vinirmuktam
tat-paratvena nirmalam
hrsikena hrsikesa
sevanam bhaktir uttamam.

Now we…, our attachment is covered by designation: “I am the head of the family. I have to do this. I have to earn this money. I have to do that, I have to do that.” This is upadhi. This is… Because upadhi means just like you are designated with some title, B.A., M.A.–there are so many designation. But that is designation. That is not reality. Similarly, the designation that “I am the head of this family,” “I am the brahmana,” “I am the sudra,” “I am American,” these are all designations on account of material contamination. Actually it has no reality. So we have to cleanse these designations. Then our original attachment for Krsna will automatically come. This is Krsna consciousness. Consciousness is there, attachment is there, but it is being covered by so many designations. So when you give up this designation, that is called mukti. Mukti does not mean that you get some extraordinary position. Mukti means to become free from these material designations. It is same attachment, diversion of attachment to Krsna.

So in this Krsna consciousness movement everything is there; it has to be purified by diverting the same thing for Krsna. Just like we have got feelings for raising children, attachment. That is attachment. So what Mother Yasoda is doing? She is attached to Krsna, and that is Vrindavan. The same thing is there.. Vrindavan life means all attachment to Krsna. Mother Yasoda is attached to Krsna, Nanda Maharaja is attached to Krsna, the cowherd boys are attached to Krsna, the calfs and cows are attached to Krsna, Radharani is attached to Krsna, the trees are attached to Krsna, the flowers are attached to Krsna, the water is attached to Krsna. That is Vrindavan. Vrindavan means the central attachment is Krsna.

That is Vrindavan.

So if you can create that central attachment for Krsna, then it is Vrindavan.

Then you can create Vrindavan anywhere–any family, any society, any country. Just make the point of attachment Krsna, and it is Vrindavan. That is required. That is Krsna consciousness movement.

Thank you very much.

From 75-128-A Vrindavan 12/10/1975 Srimad-Bhagavatam Class

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

About the Author

HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Founded the Hare Krishna Movement in 1966 in New York. In only 11 years he spread the movement all over the world. He wrote more than 80 books including Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Sri Isopanisad. Prabhupada's books constitute a complete library of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture.

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