Pure devotion to Krishna in service alone grants liberation from birth and death beyond all material desire.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.39–40 — December 8, 1974, Bombay 741208SB-BOMBAY [32:18 Minutes] SB-03.25.39–40_741208SB-BOMBAY Nitāi: [leads chanting of verse] [devotees repeat] maṁ lokaṁ tathaivāmum ātmānam ubhayāyinam ātmānam anu ye ceha ye rāyaḥ paśavo gṛhāḥ visṛjya sarvān anyāṁś ca mām evaṁ viśvato-mukham bhajanty ananyayā bhaktyā tān mṛtyor atipāraye [SB 3.25.39-40] [break] [00:43] "Thus the devotee who worships Me, the all-pervading Lord of the universe, in unflinching devotional service, gives up all aspirations to be promoted to heavenly planets or to become happy in this world with wealth, children, cattle, home or anything in relationship with the body. I take him to the other side of birth and death." Prabhupāda: imaṁ lokaṁ tathaivāmum ātmānam ubhayāyinam ātmānam anu ye ceha ye rāyaḥ paśavo gṛhāḥ visṛjya sarvān anyāṁś ca mām evaṁ viśvato-mukham bhajanty ananyayā bhaktyā tān mṛtyor atipāraye [SB 3.25.39-40] So Kapiladeva is describing bhakti-yoga. Yesterday, last night, we have already discussed the previous verse. Then bhaktas yeṣām ahaṁ priya.
Bhakta means who takes Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as the most dear, dearest of everything. And ātmā sutaś ca sakhā guruḥ suhṛdo daivam iṣṭam. Everything. "Kṛṣṇa is my guru.
Kṛṣṇa is my ātmā, because I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa," mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ [Bg. 15.7]. "So Kṛṣṇa is origin; I am part and parcel. Then Kṛṣṇa is my..." One who wants to love Kṛṣṇa as son... We have described already.
Kṛṣṇa is prepared to become your son, because we love son. We offer respect to guru. We offer respect to devatā. So everything should be Kṛṣṇa.
Yeṣām ahaṁ priya ātmā sutaś ca sakhā, friend. Just like Arjuna, he accepted Kṛṣṇa as his friend. So everyone can accept Kṛṣṇa in so many ways. So, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam... [SB 7.5.23] So you can love Kṛṣṇa as sakhā, as Arjuna did.
And similarly, Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he simply heard about Kṛṣṇa, śravaṇam. These are the nine processes. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ: "Of Viṣṇu, of Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu—the same. Not anyone else. You cannot say that "I am hearing about Mr.
Such-and-such, a great politician, śravaṇam." No, that will not help you. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. Smaraṇam, also "always thinking of Me." yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ sa me yuktatamo mataḥ [Bg. 6.47] man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg. 18.65] That is śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam [SB 7.5.23], always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Simply if you... Meditation.