The following is a lecture given by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in which he wonderfully explains the eternal nature of the living entities. In this lecture Srila Prabhupäda informs us as to how we can awaken our dormant love for the supreme lovable object. (January 1973, Bombay, India)

“The basic principle of the living condition is that we have a general propensity to love someone. No one can live without loving someone else. This propensity is present in every living being. Even an animal like a tiger has this loving propensity at least in a dormant stage, and it is certainly present in the human beings. The missing point, however, is where to repose our love so that everyone can become happy” [The Nectar of Devotion, Preface].

People become frustrated looking for the perfect object of love. We may love our brother and sister, our mother and father, our wife or husband, our friends, our community, our nation, the international community, or even all human beings, yet still our love will remain imperfect. That is because it is not all-inclusive. For example, every country considers the human beings residing there to be nationals, but not the animals. But “national” means anyone who takes birth in that country. In Sanskrit the word is prajä, “those who take birth.” So it is the duty of the leader of a country to protect all prajä residing there. Not that only human beings should be protected, while the animals—the cows, pigs, chickens, and so on—are slaughtered. They are also prajä.

When one becomes Krishna conscious, however, he loves every living being because of its connection with Krishna. As Krishna says, sarva-yoniñu kaunteya mürtayaù sambhavanti yäù: “Material nature is the mother of all forms of life, and I am the seed-giving father” [Bg. 14.4]. Real equality and brotherhood come when we see all living entities as equal, as children of the Lord. A person with such vision is called a paëòita, or wise man. A paëòita does not say, “Only my father and brother are good, and all others are bad.” That is sectarianism. At present all the leaders are fools and rascals because they are simply sectarian, thinking, “I am good, my brother is good, my father is good, my countrymen are good, and all others are bad.” That is the sum and substance of nationalism.

A devotee of Krishna does not see like that. He does not like to kill even an ant. There was once a hunter named Mågäri who used to half-kill animals. After meeting the great sage Närada, he became a devotee of Krishna and was not prepared to kill even an ant. There is no partiality in a Vaishnava[devotee of Krishna]. He is everyone’s friend, as Krishna is everyone’s friend. Just as Krishna descends to reclaim all fallen souls back home, back to Godhead, similarly His representative, the devotee, also approaches everyone and tries to get them back home to Godhead. That includes even the animals. Once when Caitanya Mahäprabhu’s party was going to Jagannätha Puri, a dog followed, and by his association with devotees the dog was also delivered.

We have a propensity to love, but we do not know how to make our love perfect. That perfection is possible when we love Krishna. Now, in my old age, I am wandering all over the world teaching that everyone can become happy by practicing Krishna consciousness. It is not that I love only my countrymen, only Hindus or Bengalis. I love everyone, even the animals. But because human beings can understand the Krishna consciousness philosophy, I hold meetings for them. Yet whenever I get a chance, I give protection to the animals also. I give them prasädam [food offered to Krishna]. I do not prohibit even an animal from coming to hear. They also hear sometimes. Everyone can hear.

Still, Krishna consciousness is primarily for human beings. When properly trained in Krishna consciousness, a human being can understand that Krishna is present everywhere. An animal has no realization who Krishna is, but a human being, after associating with devotees, can understand: “I know that the taste of the water I am drinking is Krishna and that the light of the sun and moon are also Krishna, because He states this in the Bhagavad-gétä: raso ’ham apsu kaunteya prabhäsmi çaçi-süryayoù.” In this way the person immediately remembers Krishna, and that means he is also associating with Krishna. When you hear about Krishna, you are associating with Krishna. When you chant about Krishna, you are associating with Krishna. When you remember Krishna, you are associating with Krishna.

The perfection of love of Krishna is already there within everyone. As Lord Caitanya says,

nitya-siddha Krishna-prema ‘sädhya’ kabhu naya
çravaëädi-çuddha-citte karaye udaya

“Pure love for Krishna is eternally established in the hearts of all living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When one purifies his heart by hearing and chanting about Krishna, that pure love naturally awakens” [Caitanya-caritämåta, Madhya-lélä 22.107].

A lump of gold is gold, though it may be covered with dirt. It simply has to be cleansed; then it becomes pure gold. Similarly, everyone is Krishna conscious, but on account of association with matter people think they are something different from Krishna. Because everyone is part and parcel of Krishna, everyone has His qualities in minute degree, just as a speck of gold has the qualities of the vast mass of gold in the gold mine, or as a drop of sea water contains the same ingredients as the great ocean. The difference between Krishna and us is that He is the great, unlimited spiritual being and we are infinitesimal particles of spirit.

On account of our association with mäyä, the material energy, we have forgotten Krishna. That forgetfulness is manifested by our desire to enjoy this material world. Everyone is trying to enjoy this world to his best capacity. Only the Krishna conscious persons are not trying to enjoy this world but are trying to dovetail it in the service of Krishna. That is the difference. For example, we eat prasädam, food offered to Krishna. Everyone is eating, and we are also eating—but we do not eat directly after cooking. Whatever we prepare, we first offer to Krishna. We cannot manufacture rice, beans, wheat, fruit, or milk in our factories. These are given by Krishna. So we should acknowledge this: “This food is given by Krishna. Since it is Krishna’s, let me offer it first to Him. Then I will take the remnants as prasädam.” Everyone can do this, but people do not want to. They want to satisfy the tongue. But Krishna forbids that in the Bhagavad-gétä: bhuïjate te tv aghaà päpäà ye pacanty ätma-käraëät. “One who cooks for himself eats only sin.” If one is simply eating sin, how can he be happy? He will have to suffer. So, a devotee cooks only for Krishna. A nondevotee thinks, “Look at this meat and chicken, bread and liquor. I will eat voraciously.” Because he is eating nothing but sin, he will have to suffer.

Without Krishna consciousness, everyone must suffer. That is the law of nature. As Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gétä, daivé hy eñä guëamayé mama mäyä duratyayä: [Bg. 7.14] “On your own you cannot avoid suffering the pains caused by my material nature.” But, mäm eva ye prapadyante mäyäm etäà taranti te: “You can be happy and free of suffering if you surrender to Me.” That is the only way.

So, we have a propensity to love, but we do not know how to love or where our loving propensity should be reposed so that we and everyone else will be happy. The proper object of love is revealed in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam [4.31.14]:

yathä taror müla-niñecanena
tåpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopaçäkhäù
präëopahäräc ca yathendriyäëäà
tathaiva sarvärhaëam acyutejyä

“If you water the root of tree, the water is distributed to the branches, leaves, twigs, fruits, flowers—everywhere. Or, if you put food into the stomach, the energy is distributed all over the body. Similarly, if you love Krishna, then everyone becomes satisfied.”

Krishna is the root of all existence (ahaà sarvasya prabhavaù, janmädy asya yataù [SB 1.1.1]). But we are neglecting to water the root. Instead we are pouring water on the leaves and branches. But the leaves and branches are drying up, and we are becoming frustrated. In other words, so-called humanitarian service or social service without any touch of Krishna consciousness is just like watering the leaves and branches of a tree without watering the root: it is all useless labor (çrama eva hi kevalam). You may perform whatever loving service you can for your society, community, and nation, but you must do it in Krishna consciousness, for Krishna’s pleasure. Then your loving service will be perfect. Otherwise it will remain imperfect. The persons whom you are serving will never be happy, nor will you be happy.

So our ability to love one another will remain imperfectly fulfilled until we know who is the supreme beloved. The supreme beloved is Krishna, the Supreme Person. He is supremely beautiful, supremely rich, supremely famous, supremely wise, supremely powerful, and supremely renounced—everything supreme. If someone has any of these six opulences, we love him. If one is very rich and charitable, for example, he is loved. Now, just think how rich and charitable Krishna is! He is distributing food to millions and millions of living entities every day. We are proud if we can feed one hundred, two hundred, five hundred, two thousand people. But there are millions and millions of animals all over the world, and Krishna is supplying them all with food. Actually, there is no scarcity of food. Human beings sometimes experience a scarcity of food because they misuse their advanced consciousness. Therefore they are put into trouble. If people would take up Krishna consciousness, all these troubles would be finished.

The mission of our Krishna consciousness movement is to teach people how to love Krishna. Only then will they be fully satisfied. As it is said in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam [1.2.6]:

sa vai puàsäà paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokñaje
ahaituky apratihatä yayätmä suprasédati

“The supreme occupation for all humanity is that which awakens loving devotional service to Krishna. When such devotional service is uninterrupted and free of selfish motives, it completely satisfies the self.” Teaching this truth is the mission of the Krishna consciousness movement. If people will accept it, all their problems will be solved, and they will be happy.

Thank you very much.