# Servant of the Servant *On the goal of becoming the servant of the servant* --- ### Servant of Your Servant > Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, as Prahlāda Mahārāja says, *nija bhṛtya-pārśvam* : "Engage me as the servant of Your servant." The same thing Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, *gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-anudāsa*. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means we have to give up this nonsense idea of becoming master. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have to learn how to become servant. Not only servant—servant of the servant, servant of the. That is cure. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said, "So I have understood all this nonsense of becoming master. My father also tried to become master. So this knowledge, now I am perfect. There is no use of becoming master. Better, if You kindly want to give me some benediction, kindly make me the servant of Your servant." This is benediction. So one who has learned to become the servant of Kṛṣṇa's servant, he is perfect. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, *tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā* [*Cc Ādi* 17.31]. — [[spoken/1976/760302sb.may|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.24, Māyāpur, March 2, 1976]] --- ### Cannot Become Master > Therefore here it is said, *upanaya māṁ nija-bhṛtya-pārśvam*. This is the best association. When Nārada Muni is describing how the man should behave, how the woman should behave—we are discussing now in our tape dictaphone; you'll hear that—that there is no such thing to become master. It is useless. You cannot become master. *Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate*. You cannot become master. *Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa*. — [[spoken/1976/760302sb.may|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.24, Māyāpur, March 2, 1976]] --- ### Accept the Master > The Vaiṣṇava, their principle is to become., to come to the platform of eternal servitude. That is the philosophy of Vaiṣṇava philosophy: not to become the master but to become servant of the master. This is perfect philosophy. *Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ.* So long in the material conception of life we. The *brāhmaṇa* is thinking the master of the *kṣatriya* or the *vaiśya* or the *śūdra;* a *sannyāsī* is thinking the master of *vānaprastha, gṛhastha, brahmacārī.* Similarly, in *gṛhastha* also, the chief man in the household life, he is thinking master. So everyone, *kṣatriya* king, he's thinking he's master. So, you are master to some extent, but if you accept Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu or Śrī Kṛṣṇa as your master, then your life is successful. This is the secret of success. — [[spoken/1974/740302cc.may|Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.2, Māyāpur, March 2, 1974]] --- ### Victory or Defeat Doesn't Matter > That is the meaning. You have to work for Kṛṣṇa sincerely, intelligently, and victory or defeat, it doesn't matter. Just like Jaṭāyu was defeated fighting with Rāvaṇa. His wings were cut off. Rāvaṇa was very strong. And Lord Rāmacandra, 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 puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ahaituky apratihatā*. 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 Kṛṣṇa is prepared even to accept a little flower, little water. *Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ*. He doesn't say, "Give Me very luxurious and palatable dishes. Then I'll.," He'll be satisfied. No. The real necessity is *bhakti. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati.* This is real necessity—*bhaktyā. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś ca.*. — [[spoken/1977/770301sb.may|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.9, Māyāpur, March 1, 1977]] --- ### Real Activity Is Preaching > And *anuśīlanam* 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 tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me prīya-kṛttamaḥ.* — [[spoken/1977/770301sb.may|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.9, Māyāpur, March 1, 1977]] --- *5 verified verbatim quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on becoming the servant of the servant*