The Perfect Guide

Excerpts from a 1966 East Village lecture by His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, the world's most learned and profound exponent of the art of bhakti-yoga

By nature we are destined to follow some kind of leadership. Nobody is independent. And we are trying to join some group according to the similarity of thought and propensities. There are different kinds of association, various associations such as mercantile association, bankers' association, lawyers' association, and there is a leader. That is nature's way.

Now, the supreme leader is Sri Krsna, but we do not know that the supreme leader is the Supreme Divine Being, or Krsna. So we are informed of this in the Vedic literature, and in the Bhagavad-gitä also, the same thing is confirmed, that

ye yatha mam prapadyante

tams tathaiva bhajamy aham

mama vartmanuvartante

manusyah partha sarvasah

As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pṛthā. Gita Chapter 4 Verse 11

Especially Krsna mentions the manusya. Manusya means the human being. The human being is especially mentioned here because the human being is considered the highest perfectional stage of the living condition, and especially the human being has the prerogative to understand the supreme leadership of Sri Krsna. The animals cannot understand it, nor people who live in an animalistic way.

Therefore everyone is following the leadership or the representative of the leadership. So suppose a political leader or religious leader is there, and thousands of people are following him. What is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gitä, is that they are invested with certain power of Sri Krsna. So everyone is following directly or indirectly the supreme leadership of Krsna, and the perfectional stage of accepting that leadership is when we accept Sri Krsna as our direct leader.

This is the science of Krsna. So simply by knowing this science of Krsna, if we can get liberation from these material miseries of life, why should we not try for this? Let us try for Krsna consciousness. It is a very nice subject matter and very easy. You simply come and hear nice music and singing. And beginning with music, ending with music, some distribution of prasädam, with nice palatable dishes for eating, and everyone will like it. So Bhagavad-gitä says, su-sukham: "This is a process is very palatable and very pleasurable and very easy." And still, you get Krsna. It is the easiest process, with a most pleasurable and happy mood, and still you get the Supreme.

It is stated in the Bhagavad-gitä, once you begin, even one percent you can realize, and that will never be lost. That will remain a permanent settlement. Now suppose if you are trying for your BA examination, or you have passed your BA.examination. Now, with the end of this body, your qualification as graduate of Columbia University or any university is finished. Now your life begins in another body, and you have to acquire knowledge again to become qualified to graduate. But this knowledge is not like that.

Because it is spiritual knowledge, absolute knowledge, it goes with you, with your spirit. Because whatever you have learned, that remains an asset, and you will get another chance of a human body to begin from where you have ended in this life.

We are already under the control of some leadership. That is a fact. Why should we not take exactly, directly, the leadership of Krsna? This is the process. If you have got any doubt, that "Why should I take the leadership of Krsna?" the answer is there in the Bhagavad-gitä. This is the real study of Bhagavad-gitä. In the Bhagavad-gitä the Lord says that

sarva-dharman parityajya

mam ekam saranam vraja

aham tvam sarva-papebhyo

moksayisyami ma sucah

Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear. Gita Chapter 18 Verse 66

"Just give up everything, and just be surrendered unto Me. I shall give you all protection." So instead of accepting so many imperfect forms of leadership, let us accept the leadership of Krsna and make our life perfect. That is the whole philosophy.

That is the real aim of life, and Lord Krsna is personally teaching this in the Bhagavad-gitä. Why should we not take advantage of this? We should not refuse. We can refuse because we are individual souls with independence. If you like, you can refuse, but we should not refuse.

We worship leadership—why? Because we want something from that leadership. So it is possible that if we worship other demigods, we can get some temporary relief from our distress, but if you take to Krsna, then the relief is permanent, and we can give up this body and go directly to the spiritual kingdom to be associated with Krsna.