Only bhakti, love, that is required

So these are material assets. Wealth, dhana… Nobody can captivate Krsna by all these material possessions. These are material possessions: money, then manpower, beauty, education, austerity, mystic power and so on, so on. There are so many things. They are not capable of approaching the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krsna personally says, bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bg. 18.55]. He doesn’t say all these material possessions, that “If one is very rich man, he can have My favor.” No. Krsna is not a poor man like me, that if somebody gives me some money, I become benefited. He’s self-sufficient, atmarama. So there is no need of any help from anyone else. He’s fully satisfied, atmarama. Only bhakti, love, that is required.
Bhakti means to serve Krsna. That is without any purpose. Ahaituky apratihata. That bhakti, unalloyed… Anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam [Madhya 19.167]. Everywhere this is the statement of the sastra, that bhakti should be unalloyed.
anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana karmady-anavrtam anukulyena krsnanu-silanam bhaktir uttama [BRS 1.1.11]
sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat paratvena nirmalam hrsikena hrsikesa sevanam bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]
There are so many other definition. And if we have bhakti, love for Krsna, then we don’t require huge amount of money or strength or education or austerity. Nothing of the sort. Krsna says, patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati. He doesn’t require anything from us, but He wants everyone that because he is part and parcel of Krsna, He wants to see that everyone is obedient to Him, everyone loves Him. That is His aspiration. Just like the father is very rich man. He doesn’t require any help from his son, but he aspires that his son should be obedient and lover. That is his satisfaction. That is the whole situation. Krsna has created… Eko bahu syama. We are vibhinnansa—mamaivamso jiva-bhutah [Bg. 15.7]—part and parcel of Krsna, every one of us. So everyone has got some duty. Krsna has created us, expecting something to be done by us for satisfaction of Krsna. That is bhakti. So that, our opportunity, is obtained in this human form of life. We should not waste our valuable time in any other occupation or business. Simply inquire and be ready how to serve Krsna. Anukulyena krsnanusila anukula. Not your satisfaction but Krsna’s satisfaction. That is called anukula, favorable. Anukulyena krsnanusilanam. And anusilanam means activity, not that, “In trance I am in meditation.” That is also Something is better than nothing, but real devotional service is activity. One must be active, and the best activity is to preach the glory of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the best activity. Na ca tasmad manusyessu kascid me priya-krttamah.

So our this movement is based on practical activity. Whatever talent you have got, whatever little strength you have got, education you have got… You haven’t got to learn anything. Whatever you have got, in whatever position you are, you can serve Krsna. Not that you have to learn something first and then you can serve. No. The service itself is learning. The more you try to render service, the more you become advanced how to become experienced servant. We don’t require any extra intelligence. Otherwise… The example is gaja-yutha-paya. The elephant, the king of the elephants, he satisfied. He’s an animal. He’s not a brahmana. He’s not a Vedantist. Maybe very big, fatty animal, but after all, he’s animal. Hanuman was animal. There are many such things. Jatayu was a bird. So how they satisfied? The Jaṭāyu fought with Ravana. Yesterday you saw. Ravana was kidnapping SÄ«tā devi, and Jatayu, the bird, he was going, flying. Ravana knew how to fly without machine. He was very, very materially powerful. So the Jatayu attacked him on the sky: “Who are you? You are taking away Sita. I shall fight you.” So Rāvaṇa was very powerful. He was defeated, Jatayu, but he fought. That is his service. Never mind defeated. Similarly, we have to fight. Those who are opposing Krsna consciousness movement, we have to fight with them to our best capacity. Never mind if we are defeated. That is also service. Krsna sees the service. Defeated or victorious, depend on Krsna. But fighting must be there. Karmany evadhikaras te ma phalesu kadacana. That is the meaning. You have to work for Krsna sincerely, intelligently, and victory or defeat, it doesn’t matter. Just like Jatayu was defeated fighting with Ravana. His wings were cut off. Ravana was very strong. And Lord Ramacandra, He did his last funeral ceremonies because he was a devotee. This is the process, not that we have to learn something extra. Whatever capacity we have got, let us decide to render service to the Lord. It doesn’t require that you must be very rich or very beautiful, very bodily strong. Nothing of the sort. Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje ahaituky apratihata [SB 1.2.6] In any condition, your devotional service should not be stopped. That should be the principle, that we are not going to stop, any circumstance. And Krsna is prepared even to accept a little flower, little water. Patram puspam phalam toyam. He doesn’t say, “Give me very luxurious and palatable dishes. Then I’ll…” He’ll be satisfied. No. The real necessity is bhakti. Patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati. This is real necessity—bhaktya. Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah tato mam tattvato jnatva visate tad-anantaram. [Bg. 18.55].

Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.9
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Mayapur, March 1, 1977