Afternoon worship—Attachment to Krishna

Now we have come up to the stage of attachment for the Lord. We first have to examine ourselves on whether we have got attachment to the Lord or not. Devotional service begins after we shall have the knowledge of our relation with Krishna. By forgetting Supreme Lord we have drowned in the terrible ocean of births and deaths. So we should pray to Supreme Lord; Lord is merciful. If you go to the conditioned souls of this world and request him to accept you as a servitor, he may not accept if it is not in his interest. But Supreme Lord Krishna is All Merciful. If you submit your prayer, ask Him to accept you as his servant, He will accept.

ayi nanda-tanuja kiṅkaraṁ
patitaṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau
kṛpayā tava pāda-paṅkaja-
sthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaṁ vicintaya

O Nandanandan, in spite of my being Your eternal servant, due to predicament of my own deeds, I am drowned in the terrible ocean of births and deaths. Out of compassion kindly think me as dust particle of your Lotus Feet.

In reality, we have no intelligence. This material world is like a dream. After 80 lakh births, we have got this human birth. Supreme Lord has given wisdom to understand what is good and what is bad. If we do not use the wisdom to perform devotion, then it is our misfortunate. We should pray to the Lord, “I have fallen in this material ocean of births and deaths. But You are merciful, please forgive all my offences and accept me as Your servant. You consider me as a particle of dust of Your Lotus Feet.”

tomāra nitya-dāsa mui, tomā pāsariyā
paḍiyāchoṅ bhavārṇave māyā-baddha haṣā
kṛpā kari’ kara more pada-dhūli-sama
tomāra sevaka karoṅ tomāra sevana

Indication of afternoon eternal pastimes of RadhaKrishna:

śrī rādhām prāpta-gehāṁ nija-ramaṇa-kṛte klṛpta nānopahārām
susnātāṁ ramya-veśāṁ priya-mukha-kamalāloka-pūrṇa-pramodām
śrī kṛṣṇaṁ caivāparāhṇe vrajam anucalitaṁ dhenu-vṛindair vayasyai
śrī rādhāloka-tṛptaṁ pitṛ-mukha-militaṁ mātṛ-mṛṣṭaṁ smarāmi
(Govinda-lila-amritam 19/1)

I remember such Srimati Radharani who has returned from Radhakunda to Javat in the afternoon and is engaged for preparing various good dishes of different names— ‘Amritakeli’, ‘Karpurkeli’ etc. for presentation to beloved Sri Krishna. Radharani also takes bath nicely, dresses herself with good garments, to satisfy Sri Krishna and very anxiously waits on the path for the return of Krishna from pasture and is extremely delighted to see the Lotus Face of Sri Krishna [It is to be very carefully noted here that whatever Radharani is doing is not to satisfy her or to satisfy other persons, her ultimate target is to satisfy Krishna and Krishna alone. Means is justified by the end.]

Here, we have to see Radharani’s ideal of service. We have no eligibility to enjoy or renounce, though we desire. Only a master can enjoy or give up. Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita,

ahaṁ hi sarva-yajṣānāṁ
bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca
(Bhagavad Gita 9.24)

I am the only master and the only enjoyer of all the sacrifices. Nobody else is the enjoyer or master. But under the spell of illusion, we think ourselves to be the enjoyers. And when we are not the master, how can we renounce? What can we renounce? Even this body is not ours, it is of Krishna. It is a part of His eternal (Apara) potency. Our subtle body is also of Krishna. The soul is the outcome of marginal (Para) potency of Krishna. We have got the gross and subtle body for His service. So we are to serve Him; service is natural. The spirit of enjoying and the spirit of giving up are unnatural. We are eternal servants—our only duty is to serve. As example may be given here of Indian family-life. In India, when a chaste woman is married to a chaste man, that chaste woman, according to Indian social custom, belongs to that chaste man and even changes her family-descent from parents to husband. That husband is the owner of house and the property. After marriage his wife will come to his house and will serve him with his own things. By serving him, she controls him. Supreme Lord is Sri Krishna, everything belongs to Him, by serving Him using His own things, a devotee can control Him. Service is natural; enjoying spirit is not correct. It is out of nescience that we think ourselves to be the enjoyers and masters and we can lord it over others. Also, we cannot even donate anything. There is nothing mine which I can gift, donate, or contribute to others. Everything belongs to Supreme Lord. We cannot enjoy or renounce. Service is correct. Radhika is serving always. We remember such Radhika.

Krishna returns from the grazing grounds with cows and cowherd boys, and on seeing Radharani on the way, He is extremely delighted. Krishna is eager to have darshan of His devotees. Reaching home, Krishna meets His father Nanda Maharaj and other father-like milkmen as well as mother Yashoda and other mother-like milk-women; they also are delighted to see Him. Then Yashoda Devi makes Him bath. I remember such Krishna in the afternoon.