Page 24 - Lekha-mala (English)
P. 24
14 Lekha-mālā
develop a great desire to please you with no consideration of
my pleasure?” The second option seems inconceivable in our
present conditioned state because we have no experience of
such selfless service. To pray to the Lord at this platform will
be a great austerity. But if it is desired then we should be ready
to take up that austerity.
So, please tell me what is the correct understanding?
It is the constitutional propensity of the jiva to seek ananda,
for anandamaya is his natural state. Actual ananda is inherent
in the jiva’s unmotivated attitude of service towards Krishna.
When he serves Krishna without motivation then ananda is
automatically experienced. Even though a pure devotee is
attached to serving the Lord rather than to his own happiness,
happiness is the inseparable result of such an attitude. Pure love
means there is not the slightest thought of one’s own ananda;
one in such consciousness experiences the highest ananda.
In the conditional state the foolish jiva tries to enjoy separately
from Krishna. Because his consciousness is polluted he is
induced to serve the Lord with the promise of achieving actual
happiness. Gradually he comes to perceive that by serving
Him without personal motive, he experiences a quality of
ananda previously unimaginable to him. As he becomes
increasingly purified, his desire to enjoy conversely decreases
and his actual happiness increases. That happiness is not to
be rejected as is the false happiness of sense enjoyment. That
happiness may be purely enjoyed, for Krishna’s happiness is
derived from performing joyful pastimes with His devotees.
Krishna likes to be happy with His devotees. He does not like
them to be unhappy. This has to be understood very carefully.
Misunderstanding can lead to the sahajiya mentality of
materially gratifying one’s senses in the name of devotional
service.