“Why, my dear son, you are suffering in this way?”

Prabhupada, Bombay, December 17, 1974: ..In the Vedas it is said, asango ’yam purusah: “The living entity has nothing to do with these material qualities.” But somehow or other, he has come in contact. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Thakura said, anadi karama-phale, padi’ bhavarnava-jale.

And the Caitanya Mahaprabhu also says like that, ayi nanda-tanuja patitam kinkaram mam visame bhavambudhau. “My dear Lord, Nanda-tanuja, the son Nanda Maharaja, Krishna, I am Your eternal servant.” Ayi nanda-tanuja patitam kinkaram mam: “I am… Somehow or other, I have fallen in this ocean of material existence.

Kindly pick me up and make me the dust of Your lotus feet.” Just like if you are in the ocean, somehow or other, if you are taken one inch above the water, you immediately feel relief. So we have to become at least one inch above these material qualities. Then you are liberated, immediately.

So who can do that? That is done by Krishna. Not the demigods can do that. It is not possible. Only Krishna can give. Just like if you…, one is condemned to death, nobody can save him. Only the king can save him, the president can save him. Nobody can save him. It is not… By law, nobody can save him, one who is condemned to death.

Everyone knows that. By king’s mercy, by president’s mercy… So similarly, we are here in this material world just like condemned to death. Condemned… That’s a practical, condemned to death. Who is not condemned to death here? Who can say, “No, I am not condemned to death.” Can anyone say? Everyone is condemned to death. “As sure as death.”

That is condemned to death. Why shall I die? If my nature, constitutional position, is na jayate na mriyate—I do not take birth; I do not die—then why I am dying? That is condemned to death.

So condemned to death, we are acting in such a way. That is nunam pramattah kurute vikarma [Bhag. 5.5.4] We have got one life, and there is… According to the body, the dog is working in a certain way, the cat is working in a certain way, the man is working in a certain way, the brahmana is working in a certain way, the sudra is working in certain way, according to the body.

The child is working in a certain way. The grown-up young man is doing in certain way. So according to body, we are working in different way, vicitrah, but they are all contaminated activities. Therefore we have go take shelter of the lotus feet of Krishna. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, ayi nanda-tanuja patitam kinkaram mam: “I understand that I am Your eternal servant. My position is Your servant. But I prefer to become the servant of maya. Therefore this is my fallen position. If You kindly take me again.”

And He is ready. Krishna is ready. Therefore He comes personally to canvass, that “Why you are rotting in this material world?” Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Just like fathers, sane father, request the bewildered son, “Why, my dear son, you are suffering in this way? Why don’t you come back to home, and live peacefully and blissfully?”
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