You can go on giving service in this material world under so many designation, but you will never be happy, and the person to whom you are giving service, he will be not happy.

Serving the Wrong Masters

Divert your service to Krishna

You have to live under somebody. That is our position. You cannot say that "I am not living under somebody. I am independent." No. That is not possible. Nobody can say. Can anybody say that "I am independent"? No. Because our constitutional position is that, to serve. Either I serve my family or serve my community or serve my nation or serve my government — in this way go on increasing — but your position is to serve. You... Here you will find, therefore, that the so-called master is also servant. Just like President Nixon. He was elected the master, president, but actually he was the servant of the popular vote. As soon as he became unpopular, he was immediately dismissed. So the president of a big state is the position that he is a servant. How you are not a servant? That is our nature. So people are engaged in service generally. "Generally" not. That is the law. If one hasn't got to serve anybody, no family, no children, no wife, then he keeps a dog, to serve him. Is it not a fact? I have seen in the Western countries, old man who has no family, his whole day he is keeping a dog and seeing the television. That's all. [laughter]

Because nature is to serve. That you cannot deny. Therefore pravritti-marga means that we are trying to become false master, sense gratification.

Actually, we are the servant of the senses. We are not master. When you become master of the senses, then this title is given, gosvami, svami. Svami means master. Master means master of your senses. Now we are being dictated by the senses, 'You do this," we do that. So our master is the senses, and the senses are six kinds of senses: Kama, kamadina, lusty desires; lobha, greediness; and mohah, illusion; kama, krodha, anger, mind... Mind is dictating something; I am serving: "Yes, sir, I will do it." This is our position. Kama, krodha, lobha, mohah, matsarya, in this way.

So by good association, by saintly man's association... That is recommended: mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimukteh [Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.2]. Mahat-seva [rendering service to the saintly person].

This human life is meant for rectification. We are serving somebody, and we are not happy. We have got very good example in our country, in many other countries. Just like our Mahatma Gandhi, he served his country very well, but the result was that his countrymen killed him. This is the result of our service. Nobody will appreciate. We are serving our family. The wife is not satisfied; she divorces the husband. The son is not satisfied; he goes out of home. So just analyze that we are serving to our best capacity, but nobody is satisfied. This is our position. Kamadinam katidha na katidha palita durnidesha. Actually we are serving our senses. I love my wife because she satisfies my senses. I love my husband because he satisfies my senses. Actually, we are servant of our senses. As soon as the sense gratification is disturbed, then "No, no, I am not going to serve you." Or "I am not satisfied with your service. You go away. I go away." This is our position.

So senses are there. So one who is associating with the devotees... Devotees mean who is engaged in the service of the Lord. He is not engaged in the service of the senses. That is devotee. Devotion... The definition of devotion is given in the shastra,

sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam
tat-paratvena nirmalamhrishikena hrishikesha-sevanam bhaktir uchyate [Chaitanya-charitamrita Madhya 19.170] [1]

Sarva upadhi-vinirmuktam. Upadhi means designation. I am spirit soul, but because I have accidentally..., or my result action, resultant action of my past karma, I am thinking, "I am Indian," somebody is thinking "I am American." So this is the designation of the soul. I am neither Indian, nor somebody is American, somebody is Australian. We are living soul, aham brahmasmi. That is my position. But being designated in a different way, I have become a servant of that designation. So bhakti... Bhakti means nivritti-marga, to become free from all these designations. That is called bhakti. The definition of mukti, or liberation, or becoming free from the designation, is given in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, muktir hitvanyatha rupam sva-rupena vyavasthitih: Mukti means when we give up the service in designation and we are situated in our original constitutional position. That is called mukti, liberation, or salvation, whatever you like. Muktir hitvanyatha rupam sva-rupena. What is my own constitutional position? I am eternal servant of God, Krishna. This is my position. So when we give up all these designation service and engage myself in the real service of the real master, that is called mukti, liberation.

So this Krishna consciousness movement is trying to educate men that "After all, you are servant. You have to serve somebody. You are now serving your senses. Now just divert your service to Krishna, or God, and you will be happy. That's all." The service, constitutional position, will not change. That is my position. In Bengali there is a proverb, dheki svarge gelo dhana bhange. The dheki — that's a wooden machine for husking grain. So I do not know whether it is used in your country. It is a big... It is peddled by the legs, and the grains are taken away from the skin. So if this dheki, this machine, is sent to heavenly planet, what he will do? The same business: "Dag! Dag! Dag!" That's all. So either you go to the heavenly planet or you remain here or you remain in animal kingdom, your... Even the trees, they are standing — they are giving service. They are giving you fruits, they are giving you flowers, and if you want his service, by the wood, by the body, you cut; it will not protest. "All right, you take my body." So that is the way to understand that we must render service to somebody higher. So why not go to the Supreme, the great — "God is great" — and render service? This is Krishna consciousness. Then we'll be happy. You can go on giving service in this material world under so many designation, but you will never be happy, and the person to whom you are giving service, he will be not happy. This is material world. Try to understand.