Simply Focus On The Worship Of Krishna

HH KKS: We remember Srila Prabhupad reads out the translation to the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and how he says :This chanting of Hare Krishna is not an artificial imposition on the mind but it springs from the soul – this Krishna consciousness is natural. Sometimes we think can I really give up the world can I really do that – and just limit myself to a lifestyle as of Hare and Krishna! And make my world so narrow just Hare and Krishna! (laughter) – Can I never look a little - only Hare and Krishna (laughter) – ohhh it will be difficult! – no Mickey mouse! noo Mickey mouse – no , only Hanuman. He is ok. He’s nice!
Yes so like that can we do it , we think maybe it is too narrow. And we hesitate to fully dedicate ourselves to spiritual life, but we keep we keep one foot on the spiritual side, or just one eye rather in the other direction , yes what to do now (laughter) – But then we see Srivas , Srivas thakur , what a personality. In the day time in the house of Srivas it was very busy, it was a sizeable place , although it was made of bamboo and walls as we find in Bengal. In Bengal that’s alright because its not so cold. So Srivas lived in that house and it was described that Srivas was all day long in worshipping the Supreme Lord. His servants were assisting him , family members engaged in puja -everyone, and Srivas from morning to night doing puja. At night Srivas would have kirtan parties in his house, every night also. Sleep I don’t know when it happened somewhere in between. But of course not too much, very little.
Gouranga Mahaprabhu used to come to the house of Srivas and engage in kirtans there in the night. One day during the day – Chaitanya mahaprabhu came to the house of Srivas and said don’t you ever have to go to work? How are you maintaining all this, you have this house you have servants and you just never go out to work?
Srivas said: My lord – I promise you that I will never work. If you don’t maintain us – me and my family, then we will simply fast, and if the second day you don’t maintain us we will simply fast, and my Lord on the third day you don’t maintain me and my family we simply jump in Ganga and drown ourselves! – (laughter)
"Srivas NO NO not that – don’t worry," Lord Chaitanya said "In your house there never will be a shortage of anything."
In this way Srivas got it done. No work and yet everything was supplied. That was the result of just simply focusing on the worship of Krishna. Srivas was not one to look at the side to see if there was something on the outside that he was missing out on. He was not interested. Srivas was cent percent engaged in the service of the Lord. The result was that the Lord completely provided – everything that he required, thus we are seeing and an amazing example in Srivas Thakur. We are seeing a role model , for us , we are seeing a person who in the beginning of his life was not always walking the straight line or even when he was trying to walk a straight line had a hard time doing it due to certain circumstances. So Srivas also went through that phase in his life. But then we see left everything and once he took to Krishna consciousness he embraced it , he fully embraced it. Thus it is an encouragement to us. To say yes go forward don’t hesitate now , it’s alright – you will certainly attain everything , all your desires will be fulfilled , there is no question if you take to Hare and Krishna – and then will all remain these unfulfilled desires. No. No. All the material desire will simply disappear!

(03/2009-Leicester,UK)