## Chapter V One Who Preaches Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Is Dear to Lord Krṣna and Is Protected by the Lord ### 1. The preacher is recognized by Kṛṣṇa: If one gives the conditioned souls a chance to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, all his activities are approved by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is extremely pleased.... Following the examples of the previous *ācāryas, *all the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should try to benefit the conditioned souls by inducing them to become Kṛṣṇa conscious and giving them all facilities to do so.... By such activities, a preacher or anyone who endeavors to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness is recognized by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As the Lord Himself confirms in *Bhagavad-gītā:* ... "For* *one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear." *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/6/4/44|6.4.44]]* ### 2. A preacher in Brahmā's party (Brahma-sampradāya) is very dear to the Lord: The creation of the material world is not blind or accidental. The living entities who are ever conditioned, or *nitya-baddha, *are thus given a chance for liberation under the guidance of His [Kṛṣṇa's] own representative like Brahmā. The Lord instructs Brahmā in Vedic knowledge in order to diffuse this knowledge to the conditioned souls. The conditioned souls are forgetful souls in their relationship with the Lord, and thus a period of creation and the process of dissemination of Vedic knowledge are necessary activities of the Lord. Lord Brahmā has a great responsibility in delivering the conditioned souls, and therefore he is very dear to the Lord. Brahmā also does his duty very perfectly, not only by generating the living entities but also by spreading his party for reclaiming the fallen souls. The party is called the Brahma-sampradāya, and any member of this party to date is naturally engaged in reclaiming the fallen souls back to Godhead, back home. The Lord is very much anxious to get back His parts and parcels, as stated in the *Bhagavad-gītā. *No one is more dear than the one who takes the task of reclaiming the fallen souls back to Godhead. Anyone ... preaching the mission of the Lord in the line of the Brahma-sampradāya is always dear to the Lord, and the Lord, being satisfied with such a preacher of the authorized *bhakti *cult, shakes hands with him in great satisfaction. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/2/9/19|2.9.19]]* ### 3. One who preaches is appreciated by and recognized by Kṛṣṇa ... everyone should engage in preaching, following in the footsteps of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. In this way one will be very much appreciated by Lord Kṛṣṇa and will quickly be recognized by Him. *— Cc. *Madhya *[[cc/madhya/7/153|7.153]]* ### 4. The preacher is very dear to the Lord: **"Therefore, my dear young friends ... show mercy to all living entities by enlightening them in devotional service, thus becoming their well-wishers."** The Lord says in *Bhagavad-gītā *([[bg/18/55|18.55]]), *bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ: *"One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service." Prahlāda Mahārāja ultimately instructed his class friends, the sons of the demons, to accept the process of devotional service by preaching the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness to everyone. Preaching is the best service to the Lord. The Lord will immediately be extremely satisfied with one who engages in this service of preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is confirmed by the Lord Himself in *Bhagavad-gītā *([[bg/18/69|18.69]]). *Na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ: *"There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear." If one sincerely tries his best to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness by preaching the glories of the Lord and His supremacy, even if he is imperfectly educated, he becomes the dearmost servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is *bhakti. As *one performs this service for humanity, without discrimination between friends and enemies, the Lord becomes satisfied, and the mission of one's life is fulfilled. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore advised everyone to become a guru-devotee and preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness *(yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa* [*Cc *Madhya* *[[cc/madhya/7/128|7.128]]]). That is the easiest way to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/7/6/24|7.6.24]]* ### 5. One who preaches (to try to relieve Lord Caitanya of His anxiety for the fallen souls) is most dear to the Lord: Everyone should adopt the cause of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to try to relieve Him from the anxiety He feels. This is actually service to the Lord. One who tries to relieve Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's anxiety for the fallen souls is certainly a most dear and confidential devotee of the Lord. *— Cc. *Antya *[[cc/antya/3/52|3.52]]* ### 6. The Lord is pleased with the preacher (who performs the highest welfare activity): **It is said that great personalities almost always accept voluntary suffering because of the suffering of people in general. This is considered the highest method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone's heart.** Here is an explanation of how those engaged in activities for the welfare of others are very quickly recognized by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord says in *Bhagavad-gītā* ([[bg/18/68|18.68-69]]), *ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ* *mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati ... na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ:* "One* *who preaches the message of *Bhagavad-gītā *to My devotees is most dear to Me. No one can excel him in satisfying Me by worship." There are different kinds of welfare activities in this material world, but the supreme welfare activity is the spreading of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Other welfare activities cannot be effective, for the laws of nature and the results of *karma *cannot be checked.... If one tries to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world, he should be understood to be performing the best welfare activity. The Lord is automatically very pleased with him. If the Lord is pleased with him, what is left for him to achieve? If one has been recognized by the Lord, even if he does not ask the Lord for anything, the Lord, who is within everyone, supplies him whatever he wants.... The best welfare activity is raising people to the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, since the conditioned souls are suffering only for want of Kṛsṇa consciousness.... All the *śāstras *conclude, therefore, that spreading the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the best welfare activity in the world. Because of the ultimate benefit this bestows upon people in general, the Lord very quickly recognizes such service performed by a devotee. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/8/7/44|8.7.44]]* ### 7. The Lord is pleased by a compassionate devotee: **Devahūti continued: My dear Lord, please also describe in detail, both for myself and for people in general, the continual process of birth and death, for by hearing of such calamities we may become detached from the activities of this material world.... My dear Lord, You are just like the sun, for You illuminate the darkness of the conditional life of the living entities. Because their eyes of knowledge are not open, they are sleeping eternally in that darkness without Your shelter, and therefore they are falsely engaged by the actions and reactions of their material activities, and they appear to be very fatigued.** ****Śrī Maitreya said: ** **best amongst the Kurus, the great sage Kapila, moved by great compassion and pleased by the words of His glorious mother, spoke as follows.**** Lord Kapila was very satisfied by the request of his glorious mother because she was thinking not only in terms of her personal salvation but in terms of all the fallen conditioned souls. The Lord is always compassionate towards the fallen souls of this material world, and therefore He comes Himself or sends His confidential servants to deliver them. Since He is perpetually compassionate towards them, if some of His devotees also become compassionate towards them, He is very pleased with the devotees. In *Bhagavad-gītā *it is clearly stated that persons who are trying to elevate the condition of the fallen souls by preaching the conclusion of *Bhagavad-gītā—*namely, full surrender unto the Personality of Godhead—are very dear to Him. Thus when the Lord says that His beloved mother was very compassionate towards the fallen souls, He was pleased, and He also became compassionate towards her. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/3/29/3|3.29.3-6]]* ### 8. Brāhmaṇa-preachers of Kṛṣṇa consciousness are worshipable, even by Kṛṣṇa: As admitted by Lord Kṛṣṇa in *Bhagavad-gītā *([[bg/18/69|18.69]]), *na ca tasman manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ. *The *brāhmaṇas *preach the cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness all around the world, and therefore, although they worship Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord also recognizes them as worshipable. The relationship is reciprocal. The *brāhmaṇas *want to worship Kṛṣṇa, and similarly Kṛṣṇa wants to worship the *brāhmaṇas.* *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/7/14/42|7.14.42]]* ### 9. Preaching activities satisfy the Lord: The demigods are called *sakāma *devotees, or devotees with material desires in mind, while the pure devotees are called *niṣkāma *devotees because they have no desires in their personal interests. The *sakāma *devotees are self-interested because they do not think of others, and therefore they are not able to satisfy the Lord perfectly, whereas the pure devotees take the missionary responsibility of turning nondevotees into devotees, and they are therefore able to satisfy the Lord more than the demigods.... Sometimes the Lord Himself descends for missionary activities, as He did in the form of Lord Caitanya, but mostly He sends His bona fide representatives, and thus He shows His causeless mercy towards the nondevotees. The Lord is so satisfied with His pure devotees that He wants to give them the credit of missionary success, although He could do the work personally. This is the sign of His satisfaction with His pure *niṣkāma *devotees, compared to the *sakāma *devotees. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/3/9/12|3.9.12]]* ### 10. By preaching, one attains the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya: If one wants to be recognized as a devotee by Kṛṣṇa, he should take to preaching work, following the advice of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Then one will undoubtedly attain the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, without delay. *— Cc. *Madhya *[[cc/madhya/7/148|7.148]]* ### 11. The devotees who, out of compassion, preach are as confidential to the Lord as Lord Brahmā: A pure devotee of the Lord like Brahmā and persons in his disciplic succession are always unhappy to see the perplexities of the conditioned souls, who are suffering the onslaughts of the threefold miseries which pertain to the body and mind, to the disturbances of material nature and many other such material disadvantages.... The devotees of the Lord who voluntarily take the responsibility of raising the foolish materialistic sense enjoyers are as confidential to the Lord as Lord Brahmā. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/3/9/8|3.9.8]]* ### 12. Preachers are very, very dear to Lord Kṛsṇa; their salvation is assured: In the *Bhagavad-gītā, *[[bg/18 conclusion the perfection of renunciation|Eighteenth Chapter]], the Lord also states that one who is engaged in preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness is very dear to Him. A preacher has to face many difficulties in his struggle to preach pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sometimes he has to suffer bodily injuries, and sometimes he has to meet death also. All this is taken as a great austerity on behalf of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa therefore has said that such a preacher is very, very dear to Him. If Kṛṣṇa's enemies can expect salvation simply by concentrating their minds on Him, then what to speak of persons who are so dear to Kṛṣṇa? The conclusion should be that the salvation of those who are engaged in preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the world is guaranteed in all circumstances. But such preachers never care for salvation, because factually one who is engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service, has already achieved salvation. *— *Krṣṇa,* Ch. 29* ### 13. Kṛṣṇa takes the preacher back home, back to Godhead: ****For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will** **there ever be one more dear.**** Anyone ... who tries sincerely to present *Bhagavad-gītā *as* *it is will advance in devotional activities and reach the pure devotional state of life. As a result of such pure devotion, he is sure to go back home, back to Godhead. *— Bg. 18.68-69* ### 14. Kṛṣṇa is merciful to the preacher; He takes him back home, back to Godhead: **My dear Arjuna, one who is engaged in My pure devotional service, free from the contaminations of previous activities and from mental speculation, who is friendly to every living entity, certainly comes to Me.** A devotee situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness knows that only devotional service to Kṛṣṇa can relieve a person from all the problems of life. He has personal experience of this, and therefore he wants to introduce this system, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, into human society. There are many examples in history of devotees of the Lord risking their lives for the spreading of God consciousness.... Why such risk? Because they wanted to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and it is difficult.... Now, we can imagine how merciful Kṛṣṇa is to those engaged in His service, risking everything for Him. Therefore it is certain that such persons must reach the supreme planet after leaving the body. *— Bg. [[bg/11/55|11.55]]* ### 15. We are protected when we execute our duty to preach: Our actual duty is to carry out the supreme order of the Personality of Godhead. If we are fixed in our determination to carry out the supreme order of the Lord, we are always secure, regardless of where we are situated, whether in hell or in heaven.... The devotees in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are preaching all over the world in accordance with the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They have to meet many *karmīs, *but by the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they are unaffected by material influences.... A sincere devotee who engages in the service of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by preaching His cult all over the world will never be affected by *viṣaya-taraṅga, *material influences. On the contrary, in due course of time he will return to the shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and will thus have perpetual association with Him. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/5/1/19|5.1.19]]* ### 16. The Lord blesses the preacher: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the father and inaugurator of the *saṅkīrtana *movement. One who worships Him by sacrificing his life, money, intelligence and words for the *saṅkīrtana *movement is recognized by the Lord and endowed with His blessings. All others may be said to be foolish, for of all sacrifices in which a man may apply his energy, a sacrifice made for the *saṅkīrtana *movement is the most glorious. *— Cc. Ā*di* [[cc/adi/3/78|3.78]]* ### 17. A preacher of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is protected by Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva: The Supreme Personality of Godhead in His transcendental form of Narahari, Nṛsiṁhadeva, is always ready to kill the demons, who always create disturbances in the minds of honest devotees. To spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, devotees have to face many dangers and impediments all over the world, but a faithful servant who preaches with great devotion to the Lord must know that Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva is always his protector. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/7/8/51|7.8.51]]* ### 18. Members of ISKCON should be assured of the Lord's protection and preach: In all kinds of danger, they [the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness society] should be confident of their protection by the Viṣṇudūtas or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as confirmed in *Bhagavad-gītā *(*kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati, Bg. *[[bg/9/31|9.31]]). Material danger is not meant for devotees. This is also confirmed in *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/10/14/58|10.14.58]]*). Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām: *in this material world there are dangers at every step, but they are not meant for devotees who have fully surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Lord. The pure devotees of Lord Viṣṇu may rest assured of the Lord's protection, and as long as they are in this material world they should fully engage in devotional service by preaching the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Kṛṣṇa, namely the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/6/3/18|6.3.18]]* ### 19. One must constantly pray to the Lord for protection and the blessings to preach: Unless one is sufficiently protected by the Lord, he may fall down from his spiritual position; therefore one has to pray constantly to the Lord for protection and the blessing to carry out one's duty. Lord Caitanya also entrusted His missionary work to His devotees and assured them of His protection against the onslaught of material affection. The path of spiritual life is stated in the *Vedas *to be like the edge of a sharpened razor. A little inattentiveness may at once create havoc and bloodshed, but one who is a completely surrendered soul, always seeking protection from the Lord in the discharge of his entrusted duties, has no fear of falling into material contamination. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/3/9/24|3.9.24]]* ### 20. The pure devotee-preachers are the most confidential servants of the Lord: ... devotees of the Lord are honored equally with the Lord because they are engaged in the most confidential service of the Lord, for they deliver out of the material world the fallen souls whom the Lord wants to return home, back to Godhead. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/1/1/15|1.1.15]]* ### 21. Servants of God preach and thus become dear to the Lord: *... asuras *are gradually rectified to God consciousness by the mercy of the Lord's liberated servitors in different countries according to the Supreme will. Such devotees of God are very confidential associates of the Lord, and when they come to save human society from the dangers of godlessness, they are known as the powerful incarnations of the Lord, as sons of the Lord, as servants of the Lord or as associates of the Lord.... Such servants of God are called *mahātmās, *or *tīrthas, *and they preach according to particular time and place. The servants of God urge people to become devotees of the Lord.... The servants of God come to propagate God consciousness, and intelligent people should cooperate with them in every respect. By serving the servant of God, one can please God more than by directly serving the Lord. The Lord is more pleased when He sees that His servants are properly respected because such servants risk everything for the service of the Lord and so are very dear to the Lord. The Lord declares in the *Bhagavad-gītā *([[bg/18/69|18.69]]) that no one is dearer to Him than one who risks everything to preach His glory. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/1/2/16|1.2.16]]* ### 22. Preachers are most pleasing in the eyes of the Lord: ... confidential devotees of the Lord are very much dear to the Lord because they travel everywhere to preach the glories of the Lord in different capacities and try their utmost to convert the nondevotees of the Lord into devotees in order to bring them to the platform of sanity.... when one becomes a nondevotee or nonbeliever, it is to be understood that the person concerned is not in a sound condition of life. The confidential devotees of the Lord treat such illusioned living beings, and therefore they are most pleasing in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord says in the *Bhagavad-gītā *that no one is dearer to Him than one who actually preaches the glories of the Lord to convert the nonbelievers and nondevotees. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/1/13/38|1.13.38]]* ### 23. One should preach to relieve Lord Caitanya's anxiety for the fallen souls: **"How will these yavanas be delivered? To My great unhappiness, I do not see any way."** **Haridāsa Ṭhākura replied, "My dear Lord, do not be in anxiety. Do not be unhappy to see the condition of the yavanas in material existence."** These words of Haridāsa Ṭhākura are just befitting a devotee who has dedicated his life and soul to the service of the Lord. When the Lord is unhappy because of the condition of the fallen souls, the devotee consoles Him, saying, "My dear Lord, do not be in anxiety." This is service. Everyone should adopt the cause of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to try to relieve Him from the anxiety He feels. This is actually service to the Lord. One who tries to relieve Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's anxiety for the fallen souls is certainly a most dear and confidential devotee of the Lord. *— Cc. *Antya *[[cc/antya/3/51|3.51-52]]*