Prabhu: It was mentioned that where our focus goes, naturally that activity gives us better results, or proper results. But sometimes devotees have this concept that if they do some service which is not in accordance with their conditioned nature, then they will advance more effectively in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

His Holiness Bhaktividyā Pūrna Svāmī Mahāraja: Why is that? Austerity means the performance of one's prescribed duties. You know what I am saying? Means, in other words, in the Vedic system we see, brāhmanas, their austerity is studying and teaching. So it is said that a brāhmana performs, even though he is wearing a garland of flowers, he performs the highest austerity, the most extreme austerity up to the tips of his nails by studying the śāstra and teaching it. And so, that's generally what brāhmanas are the best at. Kṣatriya, his austerity is protection, he protects the citizens to the best of his ability, so that's what kṣatriyas are good at. The brāhmanas are the mouth, they speak, you hear, you read, you speak. Kṣatriyas are the arms, the arms protect. Vaiśyas, their austerity is to generate economic development and give in charity, so that's what they are the best at. And śūdras is to assist the other three without feeling bad about it, so that's what they are best about. So that's Manu Saṁhitā. So that's what's considered the best austerity for those 4. So why would you say, by not performing your prescribed duty that Kṛṣṇa says is what you should do in the Gītā, perform your prescribed duty, thinking of Me, for Me, why would it be considered more effective for Kṛṣṇa's service that you do something you are not good at?

The cook likes to cook, so therefore he should fix the cars. And the mechanic, he should take care of the kitchen. Does that make any sense? So is the purpose of Kṛṣṇa consciousness to do something that you feel bad about and therefore you think you are advancing, or is Kṛṣṇa consciousness to do something that pleases Kṛṣṇa, and therefore you are advancing? Right? Does that make sense? So that means, if you do something you don't like to do, then you think about it. So it creates some focus, but at the same time is, what is the quality? Because all you are thinking is, "I got to surrender, I got to surrender," you are not thinking how to do this nicely. Right? What would Kṛṣṇa be more pleased with? The cook who is thinking, "Okay, I could cook it this way or I could do that, that would be nicer for Kṛṣṇa," or the one who is thinking, "I got to surrender, I hate this cooking, I got to surrender." You know, which is Kṛṣṇa going to be more pleased with? Right?

We've read the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa or read the pastimes of Lord Caitanya. Do you find that the devotees there are riding in pain and loathing what they are doing, but they are doing it for Kṛṣṇa? Only when you are unhappy, then it can be Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Right? Krishna says, "Do your duties for Me, without attachment." That is already austerity. Why is it it has to be painful? Right? That os why you don't see many people in the temple. That is why you don't see many serious gṛhasthas. Because unless it hurts, it can't be spiritual. So how is this mentality helping?

Prasāda is Kṛṣṇa. Is Kṛṣṇa nice? Do the devotees appreciate Kṛṣṇa? You go into the temple, you see how nice are the Deities dressing? Then you go, "Oh, I can't look because it looks nice and that will be sense gratification, I am enjoying Kṛṣṇa, so I shouldn't look at Kṛṣṇa! Oh, can't smell the incense, it's sense gratification." So then why is it sense gratification to eat prasādam? Or have a pleasant time with devotees? So why is, how does that come up as a concept that that's even spiritual? Okay, maybe you give up your sense gratification, but how do we give up our sense gratification? By engaging it in Kṛṣṇa's service. Do you understand? So that means, a whole field, means, basically all we do all day is deal with our senses. That's our connection to the world. Right? So if we feel, if our connection to the world is bad, therefore then it's spiritual? But we have to remember, getting out of the material world, does that mean getting into the spiritual world? If you get out of the material world, are you automatically in the spiritual world? No, you have to get into the spiritual world by having affection for Kṛṣṇa. You love Kṛṣṇa, you go back to Godhead. You hate the material world, you don't go back to Godhead. It might get you out of the material world, but it won't get you into the spiritual world. You know what I am saying?

So then why is it doing a service that you don't like then that's going to develop love for Kṛṣṇa? Means, Kṛṣṇa could have said, "Okay, Arjuna, the real problem with you on this battlefield is because you are a kṣatriya, you like being a kṣatriya, so therefore, if you really want to please me, get off this chariot, get up a shovel and start picking up all the cow dung and horse dung and elephant dung that's falling on this field, then you will really please Me!" Isn't that what Kṛṣṇa said? "Or another way you could really please Me is surrendering to Duryodhana and just doing whatever he says you should do." Right? Did He ever say that? Right? Kṛṣṇa arranged Arjuna on the battlefield, arranged Yudhiṣṭhira to be the king, He arranges the Maya Dānava to make that sabhā, assembly hall. All things that kṣatriyas hate, all kṣatriyas hate to be emperor of the world, would hate to have an assembly hall that has never been seen anywhere in the universe, they would hate to have a qualified, beautiful wife like Draupadī, they hate to be trained by a qualified teacher like Droṇācārya, that's why they were, the Pāṇḍavas were so advanced. No?

See, the point is is, the senses are engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, the point is is if it's nice what's the problem? But that niceness is not for you. You are in the Deity room dressing the Deities. It smells bad in there, right? Before they start the Pūjā then they drag the garbage in there to make sure the Pūjārīs don't in any way enjoy the environment. Right? And then they for music, then you put on "Iron Maiden" or something... [Laughter] And then in that way then it's an annoying disruptive atmosphere that's perfect for doing Deity worship. Right? Does that make sense? And all the clothes have to not fit, so that you have to fight with them and have to use 20 pins to get it to work and... None of the colors match, you know, that way then you won't feel satisfied with the arrangement. Does that make sense?

So that's the point, is that you go in the Deity room, it's nice, but it's not for you, it's for Kṛṣṇa. If it's got to be like that, how are you gonna like going to Vṛndāvana? Vṛndāvana is a nice place. It looks nice, smells nice, it's nice to be in. So you are not gonna like to go back to Godhead, because it's nice, because spiritual means not nice, right? Isn't it? So the whole idea is that the senses are engaged in the sense objects that are connected to Krishna. Therefore you hear the Holy Name, you see the Deities, you smell the incense, you taste the prasādam. Sense gratification that's not useful, that's avoided, but engaging the senses, what's the problem? You know what I am saying?

So where would this stem from? Impersonalism works like this. "I've been engaged in this world for long time and I've been absorbing myself in beauty, wealth, power, influence, fame, I had so many relationships, family relationships, social relationships, political relationships, I've engaged my senses in so many ways. And in all of these things ultimately there was no satisfaction, there was some pain. So that's obviously material life. So now I've understood the real solution to material life is spiritual life. So spiritual life means no... Means, the opposite of the material life. So in the material life I had relationships, in spiritual there must be no relationships. Material life, there was senses, therefore spiritual life means no senses. Material life meant different qualities of people and interactions, and so spiritual means no qualities." Right? You see where we are going?

So this idea that unless it hurts it's not spiritual, what might we conclude is the basis of that perspective? It's coming from Gaudīya Vaiṣṇava philosophy? No. It's just our own made-up concept. In the performance of our duties there may be things that come up we may not like to do, but they are needed to be done, so they are done. Right? So therefore ideally we can be engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service according to what we like to do. Right? That's, of course, as long as you know what is your nature and you are adjusted with it. As of right now I don't know, we don't have a service where you can sit on the sofa all day and read comic books and play with the remote. So it may be hard to really find something you really like to do. But we could maybe put up a message out on free forum or something to find if some temple somewhere has such an opportunity. So it's engagement according to your nature. In emergency situations then we do what's important. But emergency means temporary. Does that make sense? Okay?

That's basically, this kind-of mentality makes it that actually can't understand how to connect family life or gṛhastha life to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, because you have to be nasty with the women and everything has to be just not nice. Right? Does that make sense?
A brahmacārī is known as a brahmacārī, because he is neutral towards women. So why would a gṛhastha mean he doesn't deal nicely with women? Define that. You know what I am saying? So it has some pretty strange concepts of human existence. You know what I am saying? Is that okay?

So the austerity is proper performance of the duties, in knowledge, without attachment, that's already austere. Then that is done remembering Kṛṣṇa, for Kṛṣṇa, that is bhakti. And because we are performing our duties in knowledge without desire for results, for our self, we are doing that for Kṛṣṇa, that also becomes in the fire of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So that means then our austerities become Kṛṣṇa-ized. Does that make sense?