Sneha-päshair. This sneha-päsha, sneha is there. Sneha means affection. Everyone got affection. The cats and dogs, they have got also affection. But the affection is wrongly placed. We are affectionate to the skin, to this body. So this is wrong affection. Real affection is to the soul. That we do not know. We have no information. We are loving our child, that is very good, but not the soul, but the body. If someway or other the child is dead or my father is dead, we cry, “Father has gone away.” Why father has gone away? The body which you loved, that is lying there. So we do not know whom to love. So if we love actually, let us love the soul. How the soul… Love…, to love means for benefit. That is real love. I love you for your benefit; you love me for my benefit. If I so-called love you for my benefit, that is lust. So in this material world there cannot be love. It is not possible. Because everyone loves, so-called love, he loves his sense gratification. A young boy loves a young woman for his sense gratification, not for her sense gratification. Similarly she also. So in this material, this cheating is going on. I want to satisfy my lusty desires, but it is going on in the name of love. There cannot be any love in this material world, because love is between spirit and spirit. But if we try to love the Supreme Spirit, Krishna, then we shall understand how our love can be spread in the spiritual world. Samah sarveshu bhüteshu mad-bhaktim labhate paräm.

brahma-bhütah prasannätmä

na shocati na känkshati

samah sarveshu bhüteshu…

[Bg. 18.54]

When we come to the spiritual platform, then actual love begins. Mad-bhaktim labhate paräm.

That love begins… If we can love Krishna, then, through Krishna’s love, we can expand our love for everyone. Yathä taror müla-nishecanena tåpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopashäkhäh [SB 4.31.14]. Just like watering the root of the tree, the energy is expanded to the leaves, to the flowers, to the branches, similarly, if we want to love… Everyone… Just like we are coming, some patriot. Nobody loves nobody; that is all professional business. If we actually love Krishna, then we can expand our love: patriotism, socialism, this “ism,” that…, nationalism. Just like we are trying to spread this Krishna consciousness movement all over the world because on account of love. Someway or other, we have come in contact with Krishna. We are understanding that these people are in mäyä, or in ignorance; they do not know how to become happy. So our little attempt is, “Let them become Krishna conscious.” This is out of love. Samah sarveshu bhüteshu. Everyone is suffering for want of Krishna consciousness, therefore we are taking so much trouble. This is at least one side, that Krishna wants them to deliver, and if we work on behalf of Krishna, that is also love. We love Krishna.

So we have got everything in writing, in books, in instruction. Our duty is to take them rightly and utilize it properly, advance in Krishna consciousness. Sneha-päshair. Otherwise we shall be on a platform of false love. The platform of false love we know: today one pair is married, but because the love is on the false platform, the next day there is divorce. That is not love. That kind of love has no meaning; that kind of affection has no meaning. It is simply bondage. So try to… Our aim is how to become free from this material bondage and real sneha, real affection, real love should be spread. And that can be done through Krishna consciousness. Otherwise, it is all false. Sneha-päshair dridhair baddham utsaheta.

This mäyä is so strong that we are taking this false thing as reality. It is very difficult to give it up. That is explained by Krishna:

daivi hy eshä guna-mayi

mama mäyä duratyayä

mäm eva ye prapadyante

mäyäm etäm taranti te

[Bg. 7.14]

This is the only religion. If we become pure devotee of Krishna, then my love will be extended to everyone. Not only my society, but to everyone. It is not that “This is my children; that is other’s children.” All children. All human being. Not my countrymen—all other countrymen. Not only human being, but even animals also. That is sneha. It is not that “I am safe, and let the animals be killed in the slaughterhouse.” No, that is not love. Love means for everyone. Samah sarveshu bhüteshu. Equality to all living entities. That is real love. That is real concern, Krishna consciousness. A lover of Krishna will hesitate to kill even one ant. You know the story, Mrigäri. That is love. Because one has got… Just like this child. If I like I can kill him, there is no difficulty. But does it mean that I shall kill him? No. Similarly a small ant, anyone can kill. No. Here is a living entity, part and parcel of Krishna, samah sarveshu—he should not be unnecessarily killed. We should be careful, not that “Trample over the ants and let them be killed.” No. Everything should be carefully done. Of course, we cannot stop this, but we should be careful, and if it is done, then if we remain Krishna conscious, Krishna will excuse. Yajnärthe karmano ‘nyatra [Bg. 3.9]. Therefore the business should be, if we walk at all, we shall walk for Krishna. Then if some ant is killed—not knowingly; unknowingly—then we are untouched by these sinful activities. Otherwise, we are immediately noted down, “Here is a man has killed one, he has…” The nature’s law is so minute. Every minute, the account is stepped[?]. But if you remain in the business of Krishna consciousness, then there is excuse. Otherwise, everyone is becoming obliged. If I take from you one cent, I have to pay you with four cent, with interest, compound interest. This is the law. We are… Just like taking money from others. Unless we spend it for Krishna, then we shall be obliged to return again.

So,

devarshi bhütäpta-nrinäm pitrinän

näyam rishinäm kinkara räjan

sarvätmanä ye sharanam sharanyam

gato mukundam parihritya kartam

[SB 11.5.41]

We have got so many obligation: devarshi, to the demigods, to the saintly great sages, rishis. Because rishis are giving us… Just like Vyäsadeva has given us this literature. So we are obliged to him; we are indebted to him. We are indebted to the demigods. The sun is giving sunshine, the moon is giving at night shine, and the cloud, Indra, is giving us water. So we are all indebted. Devarshi-bhüta… Therefore there are so many different types of yajnas mentioned in the Vedic literature. But if you perform one yajna, sankirtana-yajna, then you become clear from everyone’s debt. Gato mukundam sharanam sharanyam. Then we are freed from all debts. So in this way we have to execute Krishna consciousness movement very carefully, and the simple process is chant Hare Krishna.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya SrIla Prabhupäda! [end]

Last part of Srimad Bhagavatam class June 25, 1976, New Vrindavan